The First Snowfall
by horahorror
Summary: Yuuri remembers an important memory in his life.
1. Snowfall

The quiet sounds of Yuuri's heavy breathing filled the empty rink. Sweat dripped onto the ice below him as he bent over to regain his strength. After a few moments, he managed to catch his breath enough to stand up. He put his hands on top of his head, standing up as straight as he could. His eyes were shut tightly, focusing all his energy on breathing. "I can do it." He whispered to himself.

It had been a while since he had felt like this. He definitely missed it.

After some time, his breathing had finally returned to normal. He sighed deeply and ran his fingers though damp hair. He hadn't even realized he was sweating that much. Yuuri pulled his hair back out of his face, tying it in a tiny ponytail in back of his head. Just one more time, he thought to himself.

He took a couple of simple laps around the rink to get his blood flowing again. He rotated his shoulders a few times as well, trying to keep his muscles from tensing up. The sound of his skates against the ice echoed though the entire rink. He was alone just like he used to be. Normally, he would always have someone around him. Whether it was Yuko, the triplets, or even Viktor, he hardly ever had the chance to be by himself anymore.

He wasn't complaining. He very much enjoyed the company. But every so often, he craved that alone time he used to have. He never was much of a people person so this time gave him a chance to breathe and release the stress that has been plaguing him lately.

He turned, preparing himself for a jump. He took a deep breath before digging his toe pick into the ice and launching himself into a quadruple toe loop for what could have been the 15th time now. He lands smoothly, arms stretched gracefully on either side of his body. A smile spread across his lips. He still had it.

He skated off to the wall where his bottle of water, cell phone, and glasses were resting. He put on his glasses and picked up his phone. He had kept it on silent the entire time he had been there. The loud ringing or the obnoxious vibrating would distract him from what he was doing. This was his quiet place. A place to focus on himself and melt the day away. He wasn't going to let a phone call or text ruin that feeling for him.

He slipped off his gloves and ran his fingers across the screen.

5 missed calls.

10 new text messages.

He shook his head with a grin crossing his lips. He didn't even have to see who it was all from. He already knew. He pressed a few buttons and the screen and pressed the phone to his ear. As the ringing started, he wiped the sweat dripping from his brows. The ringing stopped and a rustling was heard from the other end.

"Viktor." Yuuri said calmly. Before he even got a chance to properly explain himself, Viktor started.

"Yuuri! Why haven't you answered your phone? I have been trying to call you for over an hour! I thought something happened to you!" Viktor said, the worry in his voice was clear as day.

"I'm sorry I worried you but I texted you earlier that I was going to the rink. You know I don't answer my phone while I am here." Yuuri explained, using his shoulder to prop up his phone against his ear. He pulled off his other glove and grabbed his water bottle and took a few sips.

"Well I didn't see the text. You know I have bad service out here." Viktor whined. Even over the phone, Yuuri could imagine how his adorable his face looked as his did that. He would have scrunched up his eyes, trying to look angry but failing miserably. Yuuri chuckled a little and took another sip.

"What are you laughing about?" Viktor grumbled.

"I can picture how you are looking right now. Like a child who couldn't have another cookie after dinner." He joked. He took another sip of his water before setting it down. "How's everything going? Is the competition stiff?"

"Of course. But everything is going well. Kurio seems to be handling the pressure of the older guys well. He made a few mistakes in his short program but that's okay. He still did great for the first time skating that program in public" Viktor rambled on.

"That's good. I was worried about that." Yuuri, was quiet for a few seconds. "I miss you." Yuuri said quietly, feeling the blush start to creep up his face.

"I miss you too, _dorogoy"_ Viktor spoke. "My bed is cold without you in it." Yuuri's blush had made it to his entire face, turning it a shade of pink. Even after Viktor telling him stuff like this for years now, it still made him blush like a school girl.

It was so quiet. He could hear Viktor breathing though the phone. He smiled softly. It was like he was actual there with him. He was sure Viktor could hear his heart beating as it nearly beating out his own chest.

As the silence continued, he looked down at the gold band on his left hand shining underneath the bright florescent lights of the rink. He fiddled with it for a second, replaying the memory though his head.

 _"Yuuri."_

 _The first snow of the season was starting to fall. The small snowflakes floated down, starting to coat the ground. Yuuri turned his head to look at Viktor. He tilted his head a little. "Hmm?"_

 _He reached out and grabbed his cheek, pulling him close to him. He gently ran his thumb across his soft cheek and looked into those big brown eyes of his. "You are so beautiful."Viktor said, breathlessly._

 _Yuuri's emptied his air in his lungs, not daring to look away from Viktor at all. Viktor's eyes softened and he leaned in, pressing his lips against the younger skaters. His lips were warm and inviting, making Yuuri melt in his hands. Viktor caressed his face though the kiss, carefully pulling away._

 _Yuuri took a deep breath, filling his lungs again, not realizing he was holding it the entire kiss. Viktor smiled and gave him a peck on the lips. Viktor kept close to his face, brushing the stray hair out of Yuuri's eyes so he could see him clearly. The snow was starting to come down and the lights from the street were glistening against it. Yuuri's heart skipped a beat. His breath was caught in his throat. Viktor ran his hand across his cheek and used his thumb to run his thumb across Yuuri's quivering lower lip._

 _"I love you so much Yuuri. You have changed my life in ways I couldn't even imagine." Viktor said softly. Yuuri smiled brightly, letting the blush cover his entire face. He closed his eyes, trying to steady himself._

 _"Can I ask you something?" Viktor asked; Yuuri's eyes still shut._

 _Yuuri nodded slowly. He felt Viktor back away from him. He let out the breath he hadn't even known he had been holding in._

 _When he finally opened his eyes, Viktor was down on the ground, kneeling down on one knee. He had a small black velvet box holding a single gold ring in his hand which was outstretched to Yuuri._

 _Yuuri took a second to realize what was happening. Once he understood what was happening, tears started to stream down his face. "Viktor..." he managed to squeak out._

 _"I can't imagine my life without you Yuuri. You are my everything. The first thing I think about every morning. The last thing I think about before I fall asleep. The only thing I dream about. I love you Yuuri. I want to make you mine forever." Viktor said, choking back tears of his own. Yuuri's tears were flowing freely down his face at this point. He couldn't even see Viktor's face though all of them._

 _"Yuuri Katuski. Will you marry me?"_

 _Yuuri nodded furiously though his tears. "Yes! Yes of course! Yes I will marry you!" he yelled though his tears._

 _Viktor stood up and Yuuri wrapped his arms around his neck and gave him a passionate kiss. Viktor pulled him closer to him, wrapping his arms around his waist. His own tears burning hot against his cold skin. Yuuri pulled away and stood back as Viktor pulled the ring out the box. He grabbed Yuuri's left hand, pulling off his glove and handing it to him. He slid the gold band onto his finger, making sure it fit snug. Yuuri's tears were still flowing down his face as he looked at it. He wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him once more, this time, with more feeling than he had ever had before._

"Yuuri are you still there?" Viktor asked. Yuuri quickly snapped back into reality.

"Yeah. I'm sorry. I was just remembering something." Yuuri said, a goofy smile plastered on his face as he looked at his ring.

Without asking, Viktor already knew what he was remembering. He had been thinking about it a lot lately since he had left. He hated leaving Yuuri but alas, he was still a coach and he needed to be there for his student just like he was there for Yuuri. It never got easier but these phone calls helped him more than anything.

"I love you." Viktor said, his voice cracking just a little.

"I love you too. I hope the competition goes well. Wish Kurio luck for me, yeah?" Yuuri said.

"I will. Don't hurt yourself okay? I know you might want to relive the glory days again." Viktor joked.

Yuuri laughed a bit and shook his head. "I'll be careful. I still have to be able to teach the kids tomorrow. I am teaching them the basics of spins." He explained.

He started teaching a few beginning skating classes at the Ice Castle a while ago to keep himself on the ice but he ending up falling in love with all his students. He was now teaching classes full time and doing private lessons on top of that.

"That should be fun. I wish I could be there to watch. I always loved your spins. It was probably on of your strongest skills." Viktor said, naturally praising Yuuri as he always did. Yuuri let out a small chuckle. Viktor started to laugh along with him. It lasted a few moments before some voices were heard on Viktor's side of the line. Yuuri listened carefully, hoping he could make out a few words.

"I have to go now Yuuri. Kurio's free program is coming up soon. I'll talk to you when I get back to the hotel room." he said.

"Okay. I should be home by then. I will probably leave here soon. I hope Kurio does well. Text me his score when he is done, okay?" Yuuri said, his voice low, realizing that he would have to hang up soon.

"Okay I will. I love you."

"I love you too" Yuuri said before hanging up the phone.

He set his phone back down on the wall. He grabbed his water bottle and took a huge gulp. He capped the bottle and put it next to his phone. He grabbed both of his gloved, slipping on the right one first. He started to put on the left one when he stopped and looked at the ring once more. His cheeks flushed a bright pink and he smiled. He pulled the glove on all the way. He shook out his arms and legs and smiled, heading out to practice a bit more before his love called again.


	2. Blue Roses

Yuuri turned in his sleep, reaching his arm to drape across the sleeping dog next to him. Makkachin had been sleeping with him the last few days since Viktor has been gone. He had such a hard time sleeping without Viktor. He never would have imagined how much he needed this man in life.

He missed the soft snores that filled his ears all night. He missed Viktor's sliver locks covering the entire pillow. He missed waking up in the middle of the night and just watching him sleep. With each time Viktor left, it got a little easier though, especially now that Makkachin was jumping in bed with him.

He didn't sleep long though and a few moments after turning over, he sat up in his bed. He yawned loudly, stretching his arms out over his head. He ran a hand though his bed head before reaching over to grab his glasses and his phone. He had a few text messages from Viktor.

 ** _Viktor N. (12:45 am): He got a 92.25 on the free skate._**

 ** _Viktor N. (1:15 am): Right now he is tied to get third. There's 2 more skaters though._**

 ** _Viktor N (2:00 am): Just missed third place by a few points. I'm still proud of him. He did a good job but of course he is upset. Another skater told me he is crying in the locker room. Sounds awfully familiar right? Lol._**

 ** _Viktor N (2:01 am) I am going to comfort him. Ill call you in the morning and tell you what happens. I love you. Sleep well._**

Yuuri had a permanent grin on his face as he read though the text messages. He placed his phone back down on the bed and climbed out of bed. He looked around their room a second. Viktor's clothes and shoes were scattered all over the floor. He packed last minute again and left a mess everywhere. He shook his head a bit. He stretched out his legs a bit before walking towards the kitchen. He looked down at everything in the hallway.

They had just finished putting up the last of the décor in the house, trying to make it as homey as they could. Now, the hallway was covered in pictures from their lives over the past years. The walls were in pictures of both of their families, friends, and even pictures of Makkachin. Here were also a few framed articles from newspapers from around the world. He smiled as he looked across them. He noticed a set of pictures at the end of the hallway. He had never seen those there before. He stopped in a front the group of pictures at the end of the hallways. His breath caught in his throat.

 _It was their wedding pictures._

He didn't know Viktor had put them up yet. He kept talking about getting them framed for months but he never saw them so he assumed he forgot. He must have been too busy sulking around the house to notice them on the wall.

The first picture was Yuuri's entire family, including Minako, happily smiling in their formal clothes with Yuuri in the middle. The second picture was filled to the brim with Yuuri's and Viktor's friends and old rink mates. Yuuri laughed bit looking at everyone's pose, remembering that picture like it happened yesterday.

Phichit wanted to be in center next to Yuuri. He begged everyone until they finally let him in the center and he had the biggest smile on his face. Yurio was standing next to Victor. His normal crass and angry demeanor had been in full force for the entire wedding but it seemed in this one picture, he actually looked happy for them. His blond hair was pulled out his eyes and he had the slightest smile. He stood almost as tall as Viktor in that picture. He had really grown into a great man.

The next picture was with Yuuri and his parents. He felt the tears burning behind his eyes as he looked over it. They were so happy for him. He couldn't have asked for better parents. Never once did they judge him for wanting to be with Viktor. They helped with everything, making sure he and Viktor had the wedding of their dreams.

The next picture was of Yuuri and Viktor. Yuuri's hair was slicked back, per usual, wearing a navy blue suit with a sliverish bow tie around his neck. Viktor's wore a clean white suit with a blue bow tie, his hair just touching his shoulders. Viktor was standing slightly behind Yuuri and had both hands on Yuuri's waist. Yuuri, standing in front had an entire bouquet of the blue roses, leaning back against Viktor's chest. It took Viktor 20 minutes to convince Yuuri to take that picture. He thought it was too much like a teenage prom photo but Viktor whined about how cute it would look and everyone agreed. It didn't look as bad as he thought it did. It was a pleasant surprise.

The last, and the biggest picture out of the group, made Yuuri blush a deep red. He couldn't help but smile though. It _was_ one of the best pictures of them. They were looking deep into each other's eyes. Viktor was holding Yuuri gently, one arm around his waist, his hand resting in the small of his back. His other arm wrapped loosely around his shoulder, holding him close. Yuuri had one hand resting in Viktor's broad shoulder, holding a single blue rose the other wrapping around his back, his fingers gently caressing his spine.

Their smiles were so bright and their eyes were still wet from tears. But they couldn't have been any happier. Anyone who looked at this picture could clearly tell how much they truly loved each other.

He wiped the few tears that escaped from his eyes and walked away from the pictures. Once he got to the kitchen, he looked at the clock and sighed. He spent the whole night tossing and turning and it caused him to oversleep.

"I don't have long before class starts." He said to his himself as he opened the fridge to look for something to eat. There was leftover curry from the other night. Maybe he would eat that. But there was also there was the Chicken Kiev cooked before he left. He stared at the two dishes in front of him. He decided on the Chicken Kiev. He grabbed a plate and served himself the leftovers and popped it in the microwave for a few minutes.

As his food was cooking, he decided to straighten up the kitchen. They recently moved into his bigger apartment and he was still getting used to how much space there was. The loud beeping of the microwave startled him. He quickly retrieved his food and sat down to enjoy his pseudo breakfast.

He got to the rink a little early today. He wanted to give himself enough time to warm himself up at his pace. He knew the kids today were going to be rowdy since they had just started a break from school. He needed to mentally prepare himself for the onslaught of requests to do combination spins he hadn't even attempted to do in years now.

He slipped on his skates and carefully tied them. He could hear Yuko yelling at the triplets in the back. He let a small smile grace his lips as he finished tying his skates. He heard footsteps from behind him and he turned to see Nishigori standing above him.

"You're here early this morning. Something wrong?" Nishigori asked, putting his hand on Yuuri's shoulder. Yuuri shook his head and flashed a small smile.

"Everything's okay. I just didn't sleep well last night so I decided to come here. I really don't like being in that big apartment alone." He said quietly, standing up straight and starting to rotate his shoulders to loosen them up.

"Ah. You're still not used to Viktor being gone huh? I understand. You guys have been practically inseparable for years and now he's coaching again and has to leave to go the competitions and you haven't been able to adjust to being alone again. I get it." The larger man said, rubbing Yuuri's shoulder softly. "You'll be fine. He should be coming back soon and then you can cuddle to your hearts content." He joked.

Yuuri cracked a smile and nodded. "You are right. Thanks Nishigori."

"No problem buddy. Now go get warmed up. The kids will be here soon to wear you out. You know those 7 years olds really push your buttons." he said, patting his back. Yuuri stood up and walked over to the ice, taking off his guards before skating to the center of the ice.

He took a few lazy laps around the perimeter of the rink before speeding up and getting his blood pumping.

Before he knew it, the kids started arriving. All the benches were filled with young kids laughing and joking around as they put on their skates. Yuuri stood in the center of the ice with a smile. He really did love what he was doing.

"Okay guys, lets hurry onto the ice so we can warm up together! We have some extra special stuff to do today." He yelled out.

"Yes sir!" they said, some in unison, some a little late. Soon, all the kids were making their way onto the ice, taking a few laps to start their warm up.

"Don't be lazy when it comes to your warm up! If you are not properly stretched and ready to go, you could seriously hurt yourself." He said, skating slowly next to the group of children. After their warm up, the lined up in from of Yuuri, waiting impatiently to find out what lesson they were learning today.

"Today, we are going to learn the basics of a spin. How many have you know what that is?"

Most of kids around him raised their hands, leaving some of the ones who didn't know to shy away and look away. He smiled gently. "It's okay if you don't know. I didn't know a lot of things when I first started either. I did ballet before I started skating so I came into this knowing absolutely nothing. So don't be embarrassed if you don't know what a certain move is. You will learn. We will learn together!" he said, cheerily to the group. The kids perked up and looked up at him with a smile.

"Show us a spin!"

"Yeah! Spin for us!"

"We want to see how you do it!"

"Do a combination spin please sensei!"

Soon the entire class erupted into begging Yuuri to do a spin for them. He sighed deeply and ran a hand though his hair. He knew he wasn't going to get away with not doing it. Good thing he prepared for this.

"Fine. Fine. I'll do a spin. But I don't want any of you guys copying what I do just yet. You could hurt yourself okay?"

All the kids nodded in agreement and skated back against the wall wanting to give Yuuri some room. He shook his head and took a few laps around the rink to warm his legs up again. A small smile formed on his lips as he readied himself to start his combination spin. He took a deep breath, launching himself into a flying camel spin then slowly transitioning into a sit spin. All the kids gasped, the chatter erupted right away. After he spent some time in a sit spin, he made his way back up quickly to end a upright spin. He was spinning faster than he had in years. Maybe it was because of the pressure from the kids. Maybe the fact he had been practicing more. Maybe because he felt the need to show the kids what they could do. Whatever it was, it was surly enough to keep him going. He continued in the fast upright spin for a while before slowing down to a near stop, hands gracefully falling to each side of his body.

All the kids started cheering and yelling. They all surrounded him, giving him hugs and telling him how cool he was. He couldn't help but smile and pull them all into a group hug for a moment.

"Beautiful, Yuuri. Just like I remembered."

The familiar voice shook him up for a moment. He stood up and looked over to see Viktor leaning against the edge of the wall, his head in his hands. Yuuri smile reached from ear to ear at this point. The kids knew right away what that meant. They all moved from in front of him, giving him room to move. Yuuri skated as fast as he could over to him, right into Viktor's open arms. Viktor nearly pulled him over the wall that stood between them. He leaned in slowly, pressing his lips against Yuuri's. The kids quickly reacted, turning their heads and giggling. Yuuri pulled away and wrapped his arms around his neck.

"Why are you back so soon?" Yuuri asked, confused.

"I couldn't bare another sleepless night without you. So, Kurio and I left right after all the festivities last night. We just landed not too long ago." Viktor said, running his fingers across Yuuri's back. "I saw what time it was and I knew you would be here. I wanted to surprise you."

"Well you did. I really wasn't expecting you home for at least another day. I didn't even get a chance to clean up." Yuuri rambled on. Viktor silenced him with a quick kiss. Yuuri face suddenly got very hot.

"Don't worry about it. Now, go finish your class. I'll see you when you get home." He said, kissing his forehead before letting go. Yuuri nodded and skated back to the group of awaiting kids.

"Everyone tell Viktor bye!" Yuuri said to the group of kids, smiling brightly.

"Bye Viktor-san!" they all said in unison, waving goodbye to Viktor. He turned around a waved back to the kids before exiting the building. Yuuri waved as well, blowing a small kiss to him while he wasn't looking.

The remainder of the class ran smoothly. The kids were cooperating with the lesson and learning quickly. Yuuri's smiled was plastered on his face the entire time. He just couldn't wait to get home to Viktor.

Yuuri unlocked the door and stepped inside, dropping his bag on the floor next to him. "I am home!" he announced, pulling off his shoes by the entrance. A savory smell filled his nose immediately, making his mouth water. He hadn't eaten since he woke up this morning and his class wore him out to near exhaustion. He made his way into the kitchen, finding Viktor in from of the stove, stirring a pot in front of him. He turned towards Yuuri, showing off his blue half apron that draped around his nimble hips.

"Welcome home!" he said, walking over to greet him with a kiss. Yuuri smiled though the blush on his cheeks. Viktor returned to stirring the food boiling in the pot in front of him.

"Shouldn't I be the one doing this? You were the one gone for nearly a week." Yuuri explain, walking up behind Viktor, looking to see what he was cooking for dinner. It smelled delicious.

"No no. All I did was stand around watching Kurio and eat for an entire week. You on the other hand, have had a much harder week than I did." He said, looking down at the boiling liquid. "Plus, you do something like this every time I come home from a competition. Can't I spoil _you_ every once in a while?" he asked, looking up to meet Yuuri's gaze. Yuuri leaned in slowly and gave him a quick, but sensual kiss.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now go get changed. Dinner will be done soon."

Yuuri happily obliged and headed back to their bedroom. The clothes and shoes that once riddled the floor before he had left were gone. The floor had looked freshly vacuumed and the bed was even made. Yuuri couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Oh Viktor…" he said to himself, changing into his pajamas.

He came back out to find Viktor waiting patiently for him at the table which was adorned with candles, flowers, and 2 full glasses of wine. He smiled softly and shook his head at him. "You are too much. You know that right?" he said, sitting down in the chair next to Viktor.

"Of course I do. I wouldn't be your husband if I didn't" he pointed out, leaning over to give a kiss on the cheek. Yuuri turned his head and gave a him a quick peck on the lips.

"Thank you again." He said softly against his lips. Viktor smiled and pulled away, grabbing his glass of wine.

It was pretty quiet for while while they were eating; the only sound being the clanking noises of the sliver wear hitting the sides of the bowls. Yuuri had finished half his glass of wine before opening his mouth to finally break the chain of silence.

"I saw the wedding pictures in the hallway. When did you do that?" he asked quietly, taking a spoonful of the soup into his mouth.

"They came in right before I left. I put them up with the intention of seeing your face when you finally noticed but that's okay. Ill just find another way to see it." He joked, sipping from his glass.

"I was shocked to see them all up there. I was looking though the album a while ago and thinking that some of those pictures would looks great in a frame. Seems like you read my mind." Yuuri explained.

"I did it because I saw you looking in the album. The look on your face as you were remembering that day was so precious. I had to find a way to see that face everyday. That's when I decided to get some of them done."

Yuuri's face flushed pink once more. He nervously shoved the rest of the food into his mouth and put the bowl in the sink. "That was great dinner. Thank you." He said, slightly bowing to him before walking out the room. He didn't want Viktor to see him all riled up over his comment. He would have thought after all these years, he would be able to control himself a little better but alas, Viktor had quite the pull on his emotions.

As he was heading to their room, he stopped by the pictures once more. He couldn't help but look and reminisce on the memories flooding in his mind. He looked down at his wedding ring, smiling at the memories it brought back. He soon felt a pair of hands around his waist and he smiled. Viktor laid his head on Yuuri's shoulder and looked at the pictures as well.

"They turned out really nice. I was worried having some of these bigger than others would make the others less important. But I was wrong. They are beautiful together. Like us." He said carefully into Yuuri's awaiting ear.

"Yeah. Like us." Yuuri repeated, placing his hands on top of Viktor's. They took a few more moments to look at the collection of pictures. Yuuri turned his head slightly to meet Viktors eyes.

"Lets head to bed. I finally can get a good night's sleep in tonight."

Viktor agreed and locked fingers with Yuuri's, heading to their bedroom. Viktor took off his shirt and changed into a pair of sweatpants he found in a nearby drawer. He climbed into bed and held his arms out, inviting Yuuri to cuddle with him. Yuuri followed him quickly, laying his head on top of his chest, resting one of his hands behind Viktor's neck and the other laying carefully on his chest, next to his face. Viktor, wrapped one of his arms around his waist, holding him as close as he could; the other hands continuously running though Yuuri's hair, lulling his lover into a deep sleep. Soon, Yuuri's sleeping breaths filled his ears, calming him down enough to relax

He could tell that Yuuri has was exhausted. He always felt bad leaving him for so long now that he was coaching again. Yuuri was always put on a strong face for him, wanting Viktor to live to his life to its fullest extent. But Yuuri was an open book and it was easy to tell that he hadn't been taking it as well as he wished he could.

To be fair, Viktor was just as bad without Yuuri. In the week he had been gone, he only slept one full night. The rest he spent tossing and turning until he decided it wasn't worth trying to sleep. He would call Yuuri every night, making sure he always heard his voice before bed. He never realized how much he needed Yuuri until he started traveling again. Viktor was just always a little bit better at hiding his emotions than Yuuri was.

Viktor closed his eyes and took a deep breath, relaxing his arms around his husband's waist. He gave Yuuri a kiss on the top of the head.

"Good night my love. Sleep well...I love you." He said, mimicking the same words he told Yuuri over the phone every night. He laid a few gentle kisses atop his sleeping head. He rested both of his arms around Yuuri's waist and let Yuuri's breathing put him to sleep.


	3. Wet Hair

Yuuri woke up in a haze, unable to gather himself to get up out of bed. After having a week of sleepless nights, having an actual night's rest really threw his body off. He looked over to his side to reveal that Viktor was gone. He managed to sit up and grab his phone to look at the time.

1:30pm. He ran his hand though his hair in shock. Had he really slept that long? Was he actually that tired? Why didn't Viktor wake him up?

While Yuuri was trying to calm himself down, he heard the door creak open. Viktor peeked his head inside and looked over at Yuuri. "Good morning sleepy head." He said in a sing song voice. He opened the door all the way and walked over to the bed to give him a good morning kiss.

Yuuri turned his head away from him, covering his mouth. Viktor tilted his head to the side, not understanding Yuuri's sudden shyness. "Is something wrong?" he said. He put his hand up to his mouth and huffed a bit off air out, trying to see if his breath was the problem.

"I-I'm sorry. I just want to brush my teeth first. I'm sure you wouldn't want to kiss me with my morning breath." Yuuri pointed out, tossing the covers off of him and putting his feet on the ground. He stood up and headed towards the bathroom. He grabbed his toothbrush and turned on the water, starting to brush his teeth thoroughly.

"I don't really mind. You sleep with your mouth open sometimes anyway. So I deal with it even before you get up and brush." He stated, sitting down on the edge of the bed and folding his arms across his chest. Yuuri froze for a second, the blush making its way up his face yet again. He quickly spat out he mouth full of foam and turned to look at him.

"Seriously?! Why didn't you tell me?" he said, wiping the foam from his lips. He turned his head away and sulked. "That is so embarrassing."

"Yuuri, we are married. These things are part of everyday life now. There are no secrets anymore. All of our dirty habits are out for the other to see. Now we just have to learn to live with it." He said, smiling at him. Yuuri shook his head and rinsed the remainder of the foam out of his mouth. He dried his face off and headed out the bathroom.

"Now you can have your good morning kiss." Yuuri said, the blush still covering his cheeks.

"Well its more like a good afternoon, but ill take it." Viktor said, wrapping his arms around his husband and pulling him in for a sweet kiss. Yuuri smiled up against Viktor lips as his hands traced up his back. Viktor pulled away just enough to speak.

"I really did miss this." He spoke. Yuuri could feel Viktor's warm breath against his own lips. He closed his eyes and put his fingers though Viktor's hair.

"I did too." He replied, softly. He pressed his forehead up against his lovers. Viktor reached up and ran his thumbs across his cheek.

"By the way we are acting, you would have thought we haven't seen each other in years." He joked, pressing another sweet kiss onto Yuuri's lip. Yuuri chuckled a bit and nodded in agreement.

"We are pretty cheesy." He pointed out, pulling away from him and standing up straight. "I am going to shower. I still am sticky from class yesterday." He said, walking away to head back into the bathroom. Viktor walked up behind him and pulled him into a hug.

"Lets shower together." He suggested. Yuuri's face flushed a bright red as he searched himself for a reply.

"I-I mean..I wont be l-long. J-just a quick rinse o-off." Yuuri said shakily. Viktor laid a gently kiss on his neck before pulling him tighter.

"Well then let's take our time then." Viktor said seductively. He pulled Yuuri into the bathroom and pulled off his shirt. He took a long moment to look at Yuuri's bare chest. Yuuri could feel his face burning. He then helped him slide off his sweatpants, leaving him in his boxers. He then took a deep breath and scanned over his body. Yuuri fought the urge to cover himself up.

Viktor then proceeded to take off his own clothes as well, dropping them into a pile on the floor. He turned on the water and stuck his hand inside to see if it was warm enough.

"Yuuri." He said, pointing to his boxers. Viktor never had any shame in being naked, especially in front of Yuuri.

"C-Can you at least turn around and not look at me?"

"Yuuri. I have seen you on your back, knees up to your chest, covered in sweat, begging me for more. There's nothing I haven't already seen many times before." Viktor pointed out.

Yuuri could have exploded right then and there. He tried to shoo the thoughts form his head before he had to get in the shower. There would be nothing more awkward than walking to the shower with a massive hard on.

He heard Viktor step in the shower first. He quickly shoved off his boxers and took a deep breath before getting into the shower with him. Viktor was under the water, letting his hair get soaked before looking at Yuuri.

"Nice of you to finally join me." He said, leaning down to give him a quick kiss. Viktor reached up and grabbed a bottle of body wash and the loofa that was next to it. He squeezed a generous amount onto the loofa before carefully running it across Yuuri's chest. Yuuri held his breath, tensing up right away.

"Relax." He whispered. "Remember how I said I want to spoil you sometimes? Well this is one of those times." He said as he washed across his chest and arms. He made a gesture for Yuuri to turn around. Yuuri quickly spun around and faced the wall. Viktor started to wash his back, gently using his free hand to run down his spine and to his backside. He reached down and grabbed a handful of Yuuri's butt in is hand.

Yuuri yelped a bit and blushed. "Viktor…"

"You are getting thick again. I like it." He said right into Yuuri's ear, leaning in to press a few kisses into his awaiting neck. Yuuri, unconsciously, let a soft moan pass though his lips. "Seems like someone else likes it too." He said. He picked a spot on his neck and gently started to suck, making sure to leave a nice black blue mark for everyone to see. Yuuri moaned once more.

"Viktor..." he spoke softly. "Please…"

"Please what _lyubov moya_? Use your words."

Viktor kissed over the newly formed mark on his neck. Yuuri turned around and faced him. His face was extremely red and his eyes half-lidded, like he had been drinking.

"Kiss me."

Viktor smiled and pulled him as close as he could, leaning down to kiss him, just as he had demanded. Yuuri quickly tangled his fingers in his husband's wet silver locks as he deepened the kiss. Viktor used a free hand to gently grab Yuuri's jaw and pull it down, allowing him entry into his mouth. Viktor quickly darted his tongue inside, exploring every part of his lovers mouth. Yuuri let a loud moan burn in his throat. Viktor swallowed it, reaching a hand down to grab Yuuri's supple backside. Viktor growled lowly in his mouth, starting to lose it a bit.

Yuuri pulled away, taking a few seconds to breath before grabbing Viktor's hair and pulling his lips back onto his. He loved when Yuuri started to get like this. He was bold and confident, willing to do whatever he needed to in order to get his attention. He loved it.

After a few more moments of passionate kiss, Viktor pulled away and rested his forehead against his. They were both breathing heavily, water and saliva dripping from their faces. Viktor reached up and grabbed his cheek. "I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too." He said, reaching up to grab the shampoo from above him. "Let actually get back to showering. I'm still sticky." Yuuri suggested, pouring some of the shampoo into his hands. "Now, turn around so I can wash your hair."

Viktor was in the mirror, combing though his wet hair. Now that his hair was on the longer side again, he had to make sure to keep up with it. Yuuri was across the room, slipping on his work out pants and a shirt. Viktor looked behind him in the mirror.

"That's my shirt."

"I know it is. That's why I have it on."

Viktor chuckled a bit and sat on the bed next to him. "Sit down on the floor. Let me brush your hair. You always leave it a mess after a shower." He said, using his foot to tap the spot on the floor between his leg. Yuuri dropped to the floor and sat right between his legs.

Viktor started combing though his dark locks, smiling gently. "I haven't done this in a while." He said, using the comb in one hand and running his fingers though it with the other. The smell of Yuuri's shampoo filled his nose. The sweet smell always made him remember. Yuuri hadn't changed his shampoo in years. He was a creature of habit. But that made it all the easier to take him back.

 _"Yuuri, you need to calm down. It's your last competition. You should be having fun." Viktor said, holding Yuuri's shoulders. Yuuri looked away and took a shaky breath. Viktor ran his hands up and down his arms for a second._

 _"I'm sorry…Its just…" Yuuri said, holding back tears. Viktor leaned down and kissed his forehead, trying to calm him down once more. He could feel him shaking in his arms. If he kept this up, he would probably lose focus during his program and hurt himself. He tried everything he could to bring him back down to the ground but nothing seemed to work._

 _He hadn't seen him this nervous in a long time._

 _Viktor sighed and dragged him into an empty room nearby. Maybe some alone time will help him clear his mind?_

 _When they got into the room, He gave him a gentle kiss on the lips and pulled him close. He ran his fingers though his fluffy hair a few times. "I just want you to do out there and have fun. This should be a happy moment. You have had an amazing career. You should be celebrating." He explained._

 _"I know it should be. But…now that its about come to an end…what do I do now?" Yuuri started. "All I have ever done is skate. Yeah I went to college and got a degree but I don't know what to do with my life now. I guess I am just scared of what is after retirement." He admitted. He relaxed a bit more as Viktor ran his fingers though his hair. Viktor could feel him relaxing and had an idea._

 _He pulled Yuuri over to a nearby chair. "Sit down on the floor. I'll be right back!" he said, before running out the room. He found Yuuri's bag and grabbed his comb and a few other hair supplies out the back pocket of the bag._

 _He hadn't done Yuuri's hair for a competition in a while, probably since their first season together. But at this point, he was desperate to try anything that would calm him down. He felt like maybe this could help him relax a bit._

 _He came back into the room and saw Yuuri sitting on the floor in front of the chair. Viktor put the hair supplies on the floor next to him._

 _"You are going to do my hair? You haven't done that since our first season together." Yuuri said, feeling his face start to get hot._

 _"That's exactly why I am doing it today. Its your last competition. The last time Ill be able to do this. Now, sit back and relax." Viktor said, pulling him back against the chair a little and grabbing the small spray bottle of water. He got his hair a little wet before starting to comb though it._

 _Yuuri closed his eyes, relaxing thanks to Viktor's touch. He let out a soft moan as Viktor combed though his hair. He was always loved people playing with his hair. Viktor knew that. Maybe that's why he decided to do this today._

 _Viktor grabbed a hand full of gel and gently ran it though his hair, slicking it back in his usual manor. He grabbed the comb and started combing it back, making sure it was perfect for his last skate. Yuuri could have fallen asleep right there with the way Viktor was doing his hair._

 _This was on purpose. He was being deliberately gentle, making sure Yuuri felt every move against his scalp._

 _Before he knew it, Viktor was finished. He rubbed his shoulders a bit. "All done. Are you feeling better now?" he asked. Yuuri stood up and nodded. "Thank you."_

 _Viktor gave him a tender kiss on the lips. "Now go out skate your heart out. You deserve it." He said with a smile._

Viktor finished combing though Yuuri's wet hair. He leaned down and kissed the crown of his head. "All done."

Yuuri turned around and sat up on his knees to face Viktor. He leaned in and gave him a sweet kiss. Viktor smiled and pulled him onto the bed, cuddling him for a moment.

"Viktor, its 3 in the afternoon. If we fall asleep now, we will never sleep tonight. We have to get up and do something."

"We don't have to do anything. We have the whole day to ourselves." Viktor said, burying his face in Yuuri's neck. Yuuri sighed deeply and wrapped his arms around his husband.

"You are a bad influence on me sometimes ya know." Yuuri joked, kissing his head and cuddling closer to him. Viktor had already had his eyes closed, probably already falling asleep. Yuuri smiled softly closed his eyes as well to join him in the short nap.


	4. Just a Date

(I realized after I typed this, I used Victor instead of my typical Viktor. I'm sorry!)

"Yuuri."

"Yuuri wake up"

"Yuuuurrrrriiiii."

"Victor! It's too early for you to be this energetic." Yuuri groaned out from his pillow. He pulled the blanket over his head and sighed deeply. Victor pouted and grabbed the blanket down to expose his head.

"It's my only day off this week Victor. With school being out, more kids will be at the rink. I'm already booked for privates this entire week along with all the classes I have. Please just let me sleep in a little longer. Okay?" Yuuri said, letting his frustration settle in. He didn't mean to be so cold to his husband but he just wanted a bit more time to sleep.

Victor let a soft sigh and kissed his sleeping head. "Okay. I'm sorry. I'll be in the living room if you need me." He said before climbing out the bed and heading out the door. He could tell Yuuri was more stressed out lately.

Over the past few weeks, more and more kids were wanting to learn to skate. He was sure it was because Jun finally made his first national tv appearance at his last competition. He felt bad leaving Yuuri with all this stress and commotion from home but competition season was in full swing and Jun's goal of going to the Junior world championship wasn't easy. He still had a job to do, regardless of his own wishes.

He wanted to do something special for Yuuri. It was his only day off and he really wanted him to take a load off.

That's it!

A date. He would take him out somewhere it could just be the two of them. No children. No parents. No skating. Just them enjoying each others company.

He racked his brain to figure out a spot where people wouldn't bother them as much. Couldn't be out at a restaurant. That would just make it worse. Couldn't be at the park. Too many people. It was right then when it hit him. The beach!

Victor smiled brightly and ran into the kitchen to cook something for the date. He looked in the fridge and scanned over the food they had. Looked like they had everything available to make his husband's favorite dish. Katsudon.

Victor grabbed everything out the fridge and set it out on the counter. He had watched Yuuri's mom make them before. It didn't look that hard when she did it. Why would it be so hard for him to make it?

Victor cracked his knuckles and smiled to himself. "I can do this!" he said to himself before starting to open the various packages and boxes in front of him.

Victor learned very quickly that this was going to be a lot harder than he planned it to be. It had been over and hour and half and the only edible thing he had to serve was rice and that was only because the rice cooker did the work for him. The first few pieces of pork he attempted to cook were nearly raw still. The next ones over cooked. He couldn't seem to get that golden brown look Yuuri's mom could get. He let out a deep sigh and ran his arm across his sweating forehead.

"Makkachin. I may have bit off more than I can chew." He said, looking down at the dog sitting in the corner of the room. The flying bits of hot oil seemed to really strike a nerve with the dog. Victor battered up the next piece of pork. He was sure this one was going to be it.

He went to drop it in the oil when it popped up and splashed on his hand. He let out a loud yelp and dropped the pork piece next to him. He started cursing up a storm in Russian. He couldn't think straight enough to think otherwise.

"Chert maslo" He grumbled to himself as he ran his hand under some cold water. "Syn suki"

Running footsteps echoed through the house.

Fuck. I woke him up.

Yuuri came rushing in with a panicked look on his face. He didn't even grab his glasses.

"Are you okay? I heard you yell!" Yuuri said, the worry in his voice overshadowing everything at the moment. Victor lowered his head and sighed deeply. That voice really shook him. He gathered himself a little before looking over and flashing him a quick smile.

"Yeah. I'm fine! A little bit of the oil just splashed up. I'll be fine." He said, still running his hand under the water. Yuuri walked over and grabbed his hand from the sink.

"Let me see."

Victor reluctantly handed his hand over to Yuuri, who was thoroughly examining it. The worry in his eye really broke Victor's heart. He was trying to rid him of stress, not add to it.

"Yuuri. Honey. I'm fine." He said, his voice cracking a little bit. Yuuri looked up and him and pushed his flowing hair behind his ear. He gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"Everything looks okay. Its just a small burn."

"Like I said. I am fine. Please go lay back down."

"I'm already awake now. No point in trying to go back to sleep."

"Well relax then. Its your day off. Plus, I have something planned for us today." Victor added, starting to clean up his Katudon mess. He was going to have to give his round to cooking. There was no way he was going to be able to make it without a little bit of practice.

"Oh?" Yuuri said curiously, running a hand through his bead head, his gold wedding band glistening in the kitchen lights. Victor smiled at the sight. He really was his.

"Yeah. We haven't been able to spend time with each other outside of the house. Figured we could go on a date today." Victor said, turning off the stove.

"Is that what all this mess is for?" Yuuri asked, crossing his arms across his chest. Victor let a bit of blush creep over his cheeks. He could see though his plan easily.

"Yeah. It appears I have failed though. Its okay. I'll just make us some on..onig..oni…rice balls" Victor said, his Russian accent struggling at simple Japanese word.

"Onigiri" Yuuri said with a smile.

"Oni-giri." Victor said, giving each syllable emphasis. He was definitely still working on it.

Yuuri headed out he kitchen and back to their bedroom to take a shower. Victor took a deep breath and gathered himself completely before moving on to make sure the rest of today would go by smoothly.

"Yuuri, are you ready?" Victor asked, calling him from the front of the house. He had everything packed up and ready to go. He had his rice balls tightly wrapped up in a bag with a few drinks for each of them. He even packed up a few sweet snacks in case Yuuri decided he wanted to have dessert. He had also had a blanket ready for them to sit on.

He pulled out his phone and checked the weather once more. It seemed like everything was going to be okay for their date. Yuuri came out the back of the house and slipped his coat on.

"Sorry. Sorry. I lost track of time." He said, sliding his feet into his shoes. Victor grabbed his hand and smiled softly.

"Don't apologize. Take as much time as you need." he said, lifting his hand to his lips and giving it a gentle kiss. Yuuri face started to burn red. Victor chuckled and opened up the door to head out. The simplest things seem to make Yuuri blush, even after they had been together for so long.

Victor locked the door behind them and headed out towards the beach. The wind was blowing gently but it was still a nice day to go out and enjoy nature. He laced his fingers together with Yuuri's as they walked. Yuuri blushed a bright red and turned his head away from Victor but his hand still gripped Victor's tightly.

"Cutie." Victor said to himself, enjoying their walk to the beach. They were silent for a while as they walked, neither of them sure of what they wanted to talk about. Soon Victor broke the silence.

"So…how are classes going? Are the kids getting the hang of it all?"

"Yeah. A few of them are really promising! They seem to be very interested in going further than just a few classes. One of the girls, Kotori-chan, is getting so good. Her spins are looking wonderful already. I told her that I wanted to have a one on one class with her so that I can see what she could really do." Yuuri rambled, a smile plastered on his face. No matter how stressed out he got because of teaching, he never lost that spark that brought him there. He loved all his students. Victor could just tell by the way he spoke about them. Yuuri truly was something special for those children.

"That's good. I was starting to wonder when some talent from the girl's side was going to pick up. It was just a matter of time. This town is full of gems." Victor spoke, taking a look around the area before looking back at Yuuri with a loving smile. "But I have the best and most beautiful gem in town. Hell, the whole world!" Victor said squeezing his hand tightly. Yuuri blushed and bright red and looked away right away.

"Victor!" he said, swatting his arm a few times out of embarrassment. Victor laughed. "Hey! It's true! Not a single word was a lie!"

Victor stopped for a second and placed a gentle kiss on Yuuri's warm lips. Yuuri was sure he could feel the warmth crawling up his face at this point. Victor pulled away and started walking again, pulling Yuuri closer than before.

The wind was picking up as the got closer to the beach. The trees were no longer swaying, but shaking in the wind. Yuuri pulled his scarf up, covering his face. Victor sighed deeply as they were almost to the beach.

In that moments sigh, the blanket that Victor had, blew right out of his hands and out to the street behind them. Victor perked up, set down the bag with the food and started to chase after the flying blanket.

Seriously! Can anything else go wrong today?

With that said, the blanket flew up and over across a crowd of people. He cursed and gently made his way through the flock of people.

"Gomen…Gomen…Gomen…" he repeated, bumping into people as he walked. If Victor learned any bit of Japanese from Yuuri, it was definitely how to say sorry.

After he made his way thought he people, he managed to find the blanket on the ground nearby. He let out a sigh of relief and picked it up. It was dripping wet with something that smelled vaguely sweet. He looked down and noticed a tipped over cup with some sort of pinkish liquid coming out. Victor then put the pieces together. It fell in a puddle of juice. There was no way they would be able to sit on this.

Victor ran a frustrated hand through his bangs and rested his face in his palm. I seemed like the world was out to get him today. He walked back toward Yuuri, who was sitting on a planter nearby with the bag of food sitting on his lap. He stood up as he saw Victor walking over.

"You found it!" he said, going to grab it but noticing the pinkish wet stain on the top.

"Landed in some spilled juice." Victor said simply.

"That's unfortunate."

"It's okay though! Don't worry! We will just sit on the wall like we did that one time." Victor said, trying to bring the mood back up.

Yuuri nodded and walked to the awaiting beach. Victor sighed deeply and followed behind him.

Once on the wall, Victor started to unload the food from the bag. The onigiri survived the trip as well as the juice. He could say one thing was going right. He set it down next to him before pulling the drinks out the bag. He set one of the can down and handed one to Yuuri.

"Thank you." He said, cracking open the top. "Your onigiri looks great Victor."

Victor flushed slightly at Yuuri comment. He was determined to keep that happy look on Yuuri's face for the rest of the day. Victor pulled off the plastic wrap covering the onigiris. Just then, the wind picked up and blew sand right into his face, causing him to drop the entire container of onigiri into the sand below them. Yuuri gasped and tried to catch them but it was too late.

Victor opened his eyes and looked down at the ground. He let out a shaky breath, trying to keep himself calm.

One good date and I can't even get that right.

Yuuri put a reassuring hand on his husband's shoulder. Victor looked up and tried to give him a smile.

"We still have the snacks Victor. Don't worry." Yuuri said, diving into the bag and pulling out two snack cakes. He handed one to Victor. He was supposed to be the one cheering Yuuri up, but the tables had turned. Victor put his face in his hand and sighed deeply.

"I really appreciate you doing all this." Yuuri said, taking a bite of the snack cake. He could sense Victor's frustration at this point. He didn't want to make him more upset by saying the wrong thing though, so he just gave him a few encouraging words.

Victor ran his hand through his hair once more before standing up straight. Everything else had gone wrong but they were still the beach alone together so they at least had that going for him. He tried to focus on the positives as he took a bite out of his snack cake. They sat for a while, just looking at the water, listening to the seagulls. Neither of them wanted to mess anything up any further, so they decided to just enjoy the beach.

Yuuri felt a drop of water on his cheek. He looked confused for a second and looked up. Another drop fell right into his glasses. The tree above him didn't look like there was water dripping from it. Before he got the chance to finish his thought, the drops were coming faster. It was starting to rain.

"Victor." He spoke up, looking at him. Victor had his head in both of his hands, elbows resting on his shoulders. His body was shaking a little, like he was crying. Yuuri bit his lip and reached over to touch his shoulder.

"I just wanted you to enjoy your day off." Victor said, just loud enough for Yuuri to hear. "You have been so stressed out lately and since I have been gone, I haven't been able to help. I can see the bags under your eyes. The worried look on your face. It pains me Yuuri. You work so hard. I wanted to see that sweet smile of yours again." Yuuri could hear his voice cracking. There were definitely a few tears running down Victor's face. "I just wanted you to have a day to relax but I can't even do that right. I'm hopeless. I ruined your day off. I'm sorry."

Yuuri stood up and walked in front of Victor, pulling his face up to meet his eyes. He wiped the few escaped tears from his husband's eyes. He took a deep breath and choked down his own tears. He hadn't seen Victor's emotional like this in a while. Yuuri obviously didn't notice how important this beach date was to him.

"You aren't hopeless. Luck just dealt you a bad hand this time. You had the whole day planned out. How are you supposed to control the things that happened?" he said, pulling his face closer to his. "Yes. I have been stressed out. But that's not your fault. I just need to learn to better manage my time. I'm still trying to learn this teaching thing. So please don't take this out on yourself. You did what you could. It's not like you deliberately went out your way to mess up the day." Yuuri said, letting a soft smile cross his face. That was smile Victor missed. He leaned in a pressed a soft kiss to Victor's lips. "Come one. Let's go home before we get sick out in this rain." Yuuri said, grabbing his hand.

Victor nodded and grabbed the bag of goodies next to them before heading off. They were running home in the rain when Victor turned to Yuuri. "Thank you." He said. Yuuri flashed a smile back at him. Victor felt his heart skip for a second. Who would have thought that Yuuri would be the one making Victor feel like a little girl?

"Finally!" Yuuri yelled as they got into the house and shut the door behind them. They were soaking wet from the rain. They both slipped off their shoes and headed to the bedroom to change into something warm.

Yuuri changed first, heading to the kitchen right afterward. Victor figured it was because he was hungry. They had only had the snack cakes so it was fair. Victor took his time getting dressed and drying off his hair. He needed a second to pull himself together. He really lost it out on the beach. Seemed like Yuuri wasn't the only one prone to stress at the moment. He looked down at his left hand, his wedding ring shining just as brightly as it did the day they said 'I do'. Victor never used to act like this. He was stone cold. Cool. Calm. Collected. No one could recall a day where he freaked out. He couldn't even remember a time before he met Yuuri that he acted like this.

Yuuri changed that quickly. Ever since he met him, he has been changing him. He was becoming softer, more open, and willing to share more of his emotions. It was scary to him. He wasn't sure how he was going to navigate through all this. It was like learning to walk all over again. But he didn't regret it at all. Yuuri was bringing this out of him. He wasn't meant to be stone cold and cool. He was meant to be the way he is now. Every human has their flaws and Victor was ready to face his with Yuuri by his side.

He smiled softly at his thoughts before tossing the towel on the bed and heading out the living room. There he saw Yuuri on the couch, the blanket laid out and two cups of steaming liquid. Yuuri walked over and gave Victor a loving kiss on the lips. He handed him the steaming mug and smiled. "Since the beach date was a bust, figured we could have a little movie date. Complete with hot chocolate." He said, his smile crossing ear to ear. Victor's cheeks flushed and a small smile graced his lips.

"Sounds perfect." He said. Yuuri lead him over to the couch, letting him sit down first. Victor laid back against the arm of the couch, letting his legs rest over the rest of the couch. He left a space between his legs for Yuuri though. Yuuri smiled and climbed right into the spot and gently laid his back against his husband's chest. Victor set his chin down on Yuuri's shoulder, letting his free hand snake across his waist. Yuuri pulled up the blanket and covered both of them, cuddling a bit more as they warmed up.

Victor took a sip from his cup as he looked up at the movie playing on the small screen in front of him.

"Yuuri. I love you so much." Victor said, kissing his cheek. Yuuri chuckled and relaxed his back against his chest.

"I love you too. Thank you for everything for today, even if it didn't go like you planned. I still had a lot of fun."

"I'm glad. Hopefully, you get a good night's rest so you will be energized for tomorrow's classes. I gave Jun a few days off from practice so I can go down there and help you if you would like."

"I would love that. The kids would love it too. Don't be surprised if they beg you to do jumps and spins and stuff. But I'm sure you wouldn't mind. You are quite the show-off." Yuuri joked. Victor tightened his grip around Yuuri's waist.

"Hey! That's only half true." He said, kissing him a few times on the cheek.

"But it still holds some truth though. You do like the attention, I will say."

The bickering continued on for a while before they settled down and watched the movie. Yuuri was intensely watching the movie. Victor on the other hand, could help but watch Yuuri. His hair was still damp from the rain and his face was flushed from the hot drink he gulped down. His eyelashes were every so gently brushing his skin with each blink. Victor could even feel Yuuri's chest go up and down with each breath. He closed his eyes and relaxed a bit. He couldn't imagine himself anywhere else. All he wanted to do was be like this forever. Cuddled up with a warm drink, a blanket, and his husband.

Even though his day had been ruined, still turned out to be even better this way.


	5. Classes

It wasn't quite the morning but it wasn't late enough to worry about anything. It was around the time Yuuri got up to clean the house. He had been neglecting it for the past few days since he had been working so much but now that he had most of his day to himself, he wanted to straighten up. The sounds of soft melodies echoed through the house, originating from the kitchen

Viktor was still sleeping surprisingly so Yuuri didn't have his music as loud as he normally would. He needed to time to rest.

Yuuri hips gently swayed with the beat as he washed the dishes. He mumbled a few lines to himself, trying not to be too loud. Dish after dish, the sink started to empty.

The tone of the music changed and Yuuri found himself lost in the beat, unable to stay still. He smiled to himself as he continued to dance in the kitchen. He took a moment and did a little spin, turning back to sink to finish the last of the dishes.

Yuuri was so into the music that he didn't hear Viktor's footsteps enter the room. He continued to dance, moving his hips back and forth, bobbing his head and occasionally moving his shoulders. Viktor stood in the doorway with a big smile on his face. He didn't want to disrupt his fun and he was getting quite a view of his husband from behind.

Yuuri started to sing, letting his guard down a little. Viktor found it hard to contain his chuckles. Viktor finally broke down and walked over to Yuuri, placing his hands on his hips and swaying with him. Yuuri blushed a bright red and stopped right away.

"Aww but you looked too cute while you were dancing. I wanted to join you." Viktor said, leaning his head on his shoulder.

"Y-you were watching me? For how long?" Yuuri said, unable to contain his embarrassment.

"Long enough to see how much fun you were having. Come on Yuuri, dance with me." Viktor whined, moving his hips along his to get him to move. Yuuri moved a little, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

"You looked so happy while you were dancing. I want to see that again." Viktor said, thinking out loud. He pulled away and held Yuuri's hand, spinning him around to face him. Viktor put his hands back on his waist, gently swaying back and forth with the beat. Yuuri hesitantly wrapped his arms around Viktor neck. The silver haired man smiled, pulling closer to him.

"It's like our wedding day...our first dance." Viktor said softly in his ear. Yuuri nodded, leaning his head on the other man's chest.

"Yeah. I remember I was so nervous; I almost threw up on your suit." Yuuri said with a smile.

"Well you had been drinking too. I'm sure that contributed to the nausea. I'm just glad you didn't. It would not have be nice to get champagne vomit stains off a white suit." Viktor joked, gently rubbing his hips as the continued swaying.

"I thought it would calm me down a little. It's not my fault you were a 'bridezilla' and made me nervous that you were going to snap at any moment." Yuuri said, pouting his lips a bit.

"I was not a bridezilla."

"Everything had to be perfect. If not, you threw a fit."

"Not true!"

"It can't be chocolate cake! Chocolate cake will get all over everything and I refuse to have chocolate smeared over my decorations! I said I wanted white cake. Is that so hard to understand?" he said, imitating Viktor's voice, accent and all. Viktor felt his cheeks tint a little red.

"That was only one time! I just didn't want anything to get dirty!" Viktor defended.

"I did not say anything about purple flowers. Our colors are blue, white, and gold! What mudak thought purple flowers would be okay?" He said, his Viktor accent in full swing. "That's not even counting all the Russian you yelled."

Viktor pouted and put his face on Yuuri's shoulder.

"I just wanted to have a perfect day. For you and for me."

"It was perfect. But it would have been just as perfect even without all that. All I needed was you to make it perfect. We could have gotten married in a dump and it still would have been the best day of my life." Yuuri said, a gentle smile playing on his lips.

Viktor smiled and wrapped his arms around Yuuri's waist, squeezing him tightly. "Yuu~ri! You are so sweet!" He squealed. Yuuri laughed a bit. Viktor looked up and put his cheek into his hand, caressing his cheek.

"I am the luckiest man in the world. You are so wonderful...so beautiful...I love you so much Yuuri Katsuki-Nikiforov. My amazing husband." He said, looking deep into those big hazel eyes. He leaned down and pressed his lips to his. Yuuri immediately melted, relaxing in his arms. Viktor pulled his body close, feeling Yuuri chest rise and fall with the kiss. Yuuri played with the strands of hair on the back of Viktor's neck as the continued to kiss.

Viktor pulled away slowly, resting his forehead against his. They both smiled softly, swaying to the music yet again. Viktor kept one hand on Yuuri's waist, the other hand cupping his. Yuuri rested his hand on his shoulder.

"Just like our wedding." Viktor said, smiling softly.

"Just like our wedding." Yuuri repeated, starting to step with the beat.

They waltz throughout the kitchen, laughing in each other's arms when one messed up. Viktor would gently lift Yuuri up, spinning him for a second. He would place a gentle kiss on his lips before dipping him low. He pulled him close to him, so close that he could feel Yuuri's breath against his body. It seemed like minutes have passed but it had been over an hour.

Yuuri glanced over at the time and gasped. "It's that late? Geeze."

"What's wrong?" Viktor mumbled against Yuuri's black mop of hair.

"I didn't realize how late it was. I won't finish cleaning before I go to the rink for class."

"Don't worry about it. It will be fine."

"You know that I like to keep the house clean. I've been slacking on it for a few days. It's been driving me nuts."

"I'll finish it up. Just relax before class." Viktor said, kissing the crown of his head before pulling away. "What else need to be done?"

"Well I have some laundry in the washer. Also the linen needs to be washed. The bathroom needs a little work too. Also the floor need to be vacuumed." Yuuri listed off.

"Consider it done my love. You go relax before your class."

"Thank you so much." Yuuri said, getting up on his toes a bit to give him a kiss. "Are you going to class with me today?"

"Hmm?" Viktor said, grabbing come cleaner out of the cabinet below them.

"Do you want to help with class? I have the 7 to 9 year olds tonight."

"Ah…." Viktor said, heading to the bathroom to start cleaning cleaning to avoid the question.

"Hey, it wasn't that bad last time!" Yuuri said, running after him.

"Having an entire class of 15 small children sob hysterically because they thought you were scary is not that bad?"

"Those were the little kids! They don't see many people like you so it scared them. Its natural."

Viktor gave a look to Yuuri before spraying the mirror with the cleaner to wipe it up.

"These are older kids. A lot of them probably know you!" Yuuri said, leaning against the door frame. Viktor sighed deeply.

"I'll think about it."

Yuuri smiled and left him alone to clean the bathroom. He sat on the couch and pulled out his tablet to read a book.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this again." Viktor said, walking into the doors of Ice Castle Hatsetu, hand in hand with Yuuri.

"It will be fine. I promise." Yuuri said, pulling him along to the locker room so they could put on their skates. Yuuri and Viktor both slipped on their skates and headed out to the ice. Yuuri took off his guards first, skating into the ice.

"What is today's lesson?" Viktor asked, pulling his guards off and heading out to meet Yuuri. He laced his fingers in his husbands and slowly skated around the rink.

"They each have a choreographed 30 second to a minute program so they will be working on." He explained, slowly speeding up.

"Interesting."

"Yeah. Yuuko wants to do an exhibition for the kids soon. Kind of like a recital since most of these kids won't go out to competitions or anything. Gives them something to work towards."

"That's a great idea! Are you going to do something Yuuri?" Viktor asked, getting excited at the thought of Yuuri skating again.

"I haven't thought about it yet. I'd rather all my students have everything they need from me than me trying to focus on my own routine."

"Just do one of your old ones! I'm sure everyone would love to see it live!"

"Maybe….if anything...I would like to do...ummm…" he said, suddenly get nervous.

"Do what?"

"Our ice dance to Stay Close to Me…" Yuuri mumbled out, turning his head to hide his blush.

"You want to do it again?"

Viktor stopped on by one of the walls pulled Yuuri close to him.

Yuuri nodded slowly, looking up out the top of his glasses, his cheeks flushed red.

"Okay. Let's do it. I'm sure it can be even better now." Viktor said, kissing his forehead. "I'm sure I can even find our costumes!"

Yuuri blushed red and shook his head furiously. "No no no no no no! That would be embarrassing! To be honest, I probably can't even fit it anymore." He pointed out, dropping his head.

"Oh my sweet Yuuri. It will be fine. I promise! At least try it on, for me?" Viktor asked, gripping his husband's hips. Yuuri blushed red and buried his face in Viktor chest.

"I'll think about it." He grumbled against his chest, using Viktor's words against him. Viktor let out a tiny chuckle and kissed the top of his head. The rink began to fill with the sounds of kids chatting and laughing. Yuuri pulled away and turned to look at the kids. Yuuri skated over the gate closest to where the kids were getting ready. Viktor stayed towards the back of the rink, scrolling through his phone.

"How is everyone?" He asked, slipping into his native tongue.

Various answers were heard around as the kids slipped on their jackets and skates.

"Wonderful! We have a special guest with us tonight. He is going to help me with your programs for the exhibition."

"Is it your husband sensei?" a girl asked.

"Wait, sensei, you are married?" One boy asked, perking up.

"Yes I am Hideki-kun. I'll introduce him to you guys. I'm sure some of you know who he is." Yuuri said turning around to look at Viktor. "Hey, Viktor! Come meet the kids!" He yelled from across the rink. He shoved his phone in his pocket and took a deep breath before skating over.

A few gasps were heard when he got closer to Yuuri, putting his arm around his waist. "Hi everyone! I'm Viktor Nikiforov. I am going to be your helper for today." He said, a big smile on his face.

"You're married to the Viktor Nikiforov?!" One of the other boys asked, jumping up towards the gate. Yuuri let out a soft chuckle and nodded.

"I thought you all knew this by now." Yuuri chuckled.

"You keep your private life under wraps sensei. It's not like you go flaunting it."

"He's right. I didn't even know you were married! I just thought you were just good friends."

Yuuri tried to hold back laughs. Viktor looked confused at the laughter. "Okay. Enough enough about my life. We have go get to work. Viktor's Japanese is pretty rough so I'll be around to translate if you need it."

The group of kids nodded, standing up and heading to the gate one by one. They all took off their guards and headed to the ice for a warm up. "Warm up is going to be 10 minutes today. We are going to be doing a lot today so I want you all to be thoroughly warmed up." Yuuri called out from the edge of the gate. Viktor pulled him closer to him as he watched the kids.

"What were you trying not to laugh at? I got a word or 2 out the sentence but I wasn't sure what was being said."

"Oh. One of the boys didn't know we were married. He thought we were just really good friends." Yuuri said, laughing again. Viktor chuckled a bit and nodded.

"Very good friends indeed." He said with a smile. He leaned down to kiss Yuuri but the younger skater put his hand over the older mans lips.

"Not while I'm teaching. You are here to help me, not distract me." He said, watching the kids warm up. Viktor pouted and sighed.

"How many kids are in this class?"

"12 are enrolled. 7 boys and 5 girls. Looks like I'm missing 2 today. Hopefully they are still working on their routine." He said, crossing his arms across his chest as he watched. Viktor was quiet, watching over Yuuri. He missed that determined little face of his. It was cute when he was focused. Viktor found himself smiling, gently squeezing Yuuri's hip.

The 10 minutes went by quickly and all the kids lined up in the middle of the ice. Yuuri and Viktor skated over to meet them. "Okay. We are going to break off into groups of 2 to practice your programs for the exhibition. Make sure to give valuable critique of your partner's program. Telling them they are awesome or it was great isn't going to help them in the long run. Viktor and I will be going group to group to give critiques and help." He lectured. The kids nodded and broke up into their groups, starting to practice right away.

"See? Not that bad right? The older kids are a lot nicer." He said to Viktor as they watched for a moment.

"We will see. Class just started."

Both men skated up the first group, 2 boys around 9 years old. They both got a little nervous when they came up, causing the one that was performing first to stiffen up.

Viktor went up to the boy and grabbed his shoulders, angling them back to relax him a bit. "If you are too stiff, it will make your movements harsh. You are skating to graceful music so you want to look effortless." Viktor said with Yuuri translating as he spoke. The boy nodded and relaxed his shoulder a bit and kept going.

"Much better! See how much more fluid you look?" He said. Yuuri translated quickly, nodding in agreement with his statement.

"Keep working you 2. We will be back." Yuuri said, skating over to the next group which was an 8-year-old girl and 9-year-old boy. The girl effortless lifted her leg behind her, doing an effortless spiral. Yuuri watched her closely as she continued. "You look good Chiori-chan but I can see you thinking about every move. Your entire face shows everything. You made a mistake after the spiral right?" Yuuri asked. The girl nodded.

"It was very obvious in your face and body language. You were effortless in the spiral but as soon as you made the mistake, you stiffened up. It's okay to make a mistake. Everyone does. The best skaters in the world still make mistakes. You just have to get back up and keep going. You are a beautiful skater. Don't let something as simple as a misplaced foot get you off." Yuuri said with a smile. He stepped behind her for a second and lifted her arms. "Make sure to think about your arms. When you lot flustered, you forgot your arms and they got very sloppy. Always think about it."

"Thank you." She said with a smile.

The critiques continued for the rest of the practice. At the end, they all skated to the middle.

"Good job today everyone! You should be proud of yourselves. A lot of work was done today but don't think its over. The exhibition will be here before you know it. So don't think just because Viktor or I said it was good, that it doesn't need polishing. We will be discussing costumes for everyone next class so make sure you come prepared to listen. Okay guys see you next week, class is dismissed." Yuuri announced. All the students started to mumble amongst each other.

"Okay. Ready? One. Two. Three!" One of the kids said. They all slightly bowed a little.

"Thank you for your help, Nikiforov-sensei." They said in heavy accented English. Viktor felt his lips curl into a huge smile.

"No! Thank you guys! You are all very talented! I can't wait to come back again." He said. Yuuri did a quick translation, a smile on his face. The kids smiled and made their way off the ice and into their parents awaiting hands. Soon the rink was quiet.

"See. I told you." Yuuri said, wrapping his arms around Victor's neck.

"They are good kids. They have a lot of talent!" Viktor said, resting his arms on his hips.

"I know. I'm excited to see how they all do at the exhibition. I'm sure some of them can even start skating competitively." He pointed out, playing with Viktor's hair between his fingers.

Viktor nodded and gently pressed a kiss to Yuuri's lips.

"You have been waiting all class for that, haven't you." Yuuri asked.

"Of course! You know I can't get enough of my Yuuri!" He said, kissing his cheek. Yuuri chuckled and pushed him away gently.

"Hey Vik...Vitya...the rink is empty...do you want to practice? You know, for our program? Gotta see if you can still lift me like you used to." Yuuri said with a smile. Viktor swiftly picked him up from his behind and skated to the center of the ice.

"Oh, so you can still lift me?" Yuuri said as his husband gently put him down.

"I still work out! Jun keeps me in shape!" He exclaimed. He gently wrapped his arm around Yuuri's waist, starting to skate gently around the ice. Yuuri smiled, separating a bit to start to routine.

It was like they performed it yesterday. Every move came back to them with ease. The lifts, the dips, even the tender moments; it all flooded back to them.

They ended the program in the middle of the ice, looking deep into each other eyes. They were a bit worn out, trying to catch their breath. They couldn't help but smile.

"I can't believe we still remember that." Yuuri said, wiping the sweat from his brows. Viktor cracked a smile and got closer to Yuuri, caressing his cheek yet again.

"I can never forget it. I still think about it every single day. I think about how lucky I am to have you in my life. I can't wait to skate this again with you. It will have so much more meaning." He said softly, a smile still gracing his lips. Yuuri felt his ears get hot. Viktor leaned down and caught his lips in Yuuri's.

Yuuri buried his fingers in his air as Viktor put both arms around his waist and lifted him gently in the air. Yuuri smiled against his husband's lips.

"Hey love birds! You know I love you guys but you have got to stop sucking face on the ice! I got to get it ready for tomorrow!" Nishigori yelled from the booth. They both blushed and laughed. Viktor didn't put him down though, skating with him over the gate before putting him down.

Yuuri put on his guards and headed to the locker room. Viktor followed suit. They changed quickly, ready to head out. They left out the locker room and Yuuri quickly laced his fingers with Viktor's. They both headed out the door after telling everyone good night.

"What do you want for dinner tonight? I have a few things in the fridge." Yuuri asked, looking over at Viktor.

"Let's relax and just get take out from the place by the house. We can watch a movie, your choice." Viktor said, squeezing his hand.

"Sound perfect." Yuuri said with a big smile on his face as they continued walking home, hand in hand.


	6. The Call

Ring ring ring.

A loud groan came from the bed.

Ring ring ring.

"Viktor….your phone." Yuri groaned, pulling the cover over his head. Viktor turned over and wrapped his arms around his husband, ignoring his phone.

Ring ring ring.

"Viktoooorrrr!"

"Whoever it is can call back. I am trying to sleep with my husband here." He grumbled into Yuuri's neck, trying to go back to sleep.

They let the phone ring all the way through. They relaxed once more and tried to back to sleep.

Ring ring ring

They groaned in unison.

"Viktor...your phone…" Yuuri said quietly.

The Russian sighed and reached out the blankets to grab the phone. He slid his finger along the bottom and pressed it to his ear. He didn't even bother to see who it was.

"Hello?" He said sleepily.

The other end was quiet for a moment before answering. Viktor sat up quickly in his bed, running a hand through his hair. The voice continued on and Viktor didn't move a muscle for a moment.

He spoke back in his native tongue. It was something Yuuri didn't hear often so he wasn't sure if this was something good or something bad. It was obviously someone from back home though so it couldn't be that bad,right? Viktor continued to talk but his voice sounded harsher now, his language mimicking his tone.

Yuuri peeked out the blankets to see what all the ruckus was about. He looked at Viktor , who seemed physically distressed, as he spoke in that harsh Russian.

The distressed expression quickly changed to anger. He started to yell, loudly. His voice was booming through their room. It made Yuuri jump a bit. He had ever seen him that angry before. There's been the occasional yell or an angry punch at a wall but never anything this intense. Viktor glanced over at Yuuri, noting his worried expression. Viktor quickly what was happening and with that, got out of bed, practically running out the door.

Yuuri sat up in utter confusion. He rubbed his eyes a few times to wake himself up. He could hear a distant yelling. Nothing he could understand though. He didn't know what to do in this situation. He couldn't intervene because he had no idea what he was even yelling about. It was obvious he didn't want to get in the middle of it either.

Yuuri grabbed his phone and mindlessly scrolled through Instagram to get his mind off of the screaming from the living room. He decided he would let him ride it out then talk to him when he was calm enough.

The yelling faded away after a while. It was pretty quiet for a moment. It's probably over now, Yuuri thought. He climbed out of bed and walked over to the living room. He heard a loud crash on his way out, causing him to jump.

"Viktor!" He yelled, rushing into the living room. He looked around and saw his husband sitting on the couch, his head in his thighs and his hands covering the back of his head. He was shaking. He couldn't tell if he was crying or not from where he was standing.

"Vi...Viktor?" Yuuri asked, inching closer. He noticed his phone on the floor, the screen cracked pretty badly.

"Viktor...what...what happened?" He asked softly, going to touch his shoulder. He jerked away from his touch. He stood up and grabbed his coat.

"I'm leaving. I'll...be back later." He said, grabbing the keys and heading out the door. Yuuri plopped on the couch. He couldn't process what just happened. Or even why Viktor was acting like this. Yuuri wiped a few stray tears from his eyes before laying down on the couch.

Yuuri woke up to the sound of the door opening and closing. He quickly sat up and fixed his glasses on his face. "Viktor!"

Viktor gave Yuuri a weak smile. Yuuri got up off the couch and walked over to his husband to give him a kiss. He was going to lean in and kiss him. But he stopped midway. He furrowed his brows.

"You smell like liquor and cigarettes…" he pointed out. "Were you at the bar?"

"Why does it matter?" Viktor snapped, running a hand through his hair.

"It does matter. Were you out drinking?" Yuuri asked, getting angry.

"And if I was?" He said, catching the anger right back.

"You left at 9 in the morning. It's 2 o'clock in the afternoon. That's a problem"

"I just think I deserve it after the damn morning I had." He said, his voice getting louder.

"What happened then?" Yuuri asked.

"It's nothing that concerns you."

"Of course it concerns me if you are out drinking at 9 in the morning!" He said, finally losing his temper.

"Just stay out of this Yuuri!" He yelled back. Yuuri stepped back, taking a deep breath. Viktor quickly realized what he had done. Yuuri was trembling, his hands balling into fists.

"Yuuri….I...I'm.." He started. Yuuri quickly cut him off.

"No!" He started, tears running down his face. "You wake up and get this phone call. You won't tell me what it is. You break your phone and then leave to a scummy dive bar and come back drunk and angry and still won't tell me what is it! When will you talk to me Viktor? You always do this when you get angry. You try to act like it never happened. You brush it all under the rug and I let it happen. But not this time! I refuse to brush this off!"

Viktor sat back on the couch in awe. He looked up at Yuuri, who was still crying. He hung his head in shame. "It was my mother…" He said quietly.

Yuuri sniffles and looked at him. "What?"

"The person who called me this morning. It was my mother." He said, just louder than a whisper. He took a shaky breath, drawing his hands into a fist.

"Your mother? But…I thought…"

"We haven't spoken in a long time. Probably not since my senior debut."

"Why did she call after so long?" Yuuri asked, going to sit down next to him. Viktor shivered away, keeping his head low, unable to look up at the younger man.

"She called to tell me my dad is sick. Very sick." He said, taking a deep breath. "She thinks it's his time. So she wanted me to come home to see him one last time."

"You should go if your father is sick! I am sure he would want to see you!" Yuuri said, grabbing his hand.

"I wish it was that easy Yuuri. I used to dream I had a loving family like yours. Full of supportive people no matter what you did. That's why I'm glad I married you. I got the family I always wanted." He said, lifting Yuuri's hand to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on his gold band.

"Viktor…." He said quietly.

"My father hated that I skated. He regretted the day he ever put me on the ice. He blames everything on that. 'Maybe if I didn't put him on the ice that day, he would have turned our better.' He always said. I hated it. I wanted so hard to prove to him that it wasn't a mistake. That's why I put everything into my skating so I could win and make my father proud of me." He spoke quietly. "But nothing mattered. Gold after gold meant nothing to him. He was still ashamed to have a son like me . I started to go to more extreme measures to please him. I cut my hair and started working on landing more and more quads, thinking if I tried to be more manly, he would accept me. That didn't change much. After that, I gave up. I stopped trying to make him happy. But alas, the damage had been done. Can't recover from something like that. I stayed that stone cold man until the night at the banquet Yuuri. For the first time in years, I was actually happy. You changed my life." He said, smiling a little.

"A-And your mother?" Yuuri stammered.

"She has always been a good little housewife. Take care of the kids, cook, clean, serve your husband. Even if she did disagree with him, she wouldn't say anything. A good wife supports her husband right?" He said jokingly. "So when she called me and asked me to come, I told her no. She got upset with me, talking about how I needed to see him for the last time. I argued with her for a while. I slipped and mentioned you…." He said quietly.

Yuuri felt his breath hitch in his throat.

"She asked who this Yuuri was. I outwardly told her. I said he's my husband. She couldn't believe her ears. 'Husband? What do you mean Husband?'. I sarcastically told her the definition of a husband. That made her even more upset. I'm not ashamed of you and I wasn't going to sit there and let her make me feel ashamed. I kept telling her that I didn't care what she thought. Just because my estranged parents tell me they disapprove of my marriage doesn't mean I'm going out and getting a divorce."

Yuuri looked solemn, unable to think of what to say. Viktor had always been cool calm and collected. He didn't think he was harboring feelings like this for this long. It's like he was thrust back to the beginning of their relationship. He had to figure out his husband again.

"I told her there's no way I'm going without you. If she wanted me to come, you would be by my side the entire time." He started. "Of course that didn't go over well. I'm used to this sort of thing. The yelling the insulting. It was all okay. Until she started talking about you." He said, his tone getting darker towards the end.

Yuuri gulped hard. He put his hands together on his lap, fidgeting a bit.

"She started saying you were some snake who only wanted my money and fame. That you were some type of whore I found on the street and that I married you out pity. I tried to keep my cool. I told her you were a skater and I was your coach. She lost it. Claiming that the 'devil named Yuuri' took his son away from her. That it was your fault why I didn't want to see my father. That's when I threw my phone at the wall. I couldn't take it. I could handle her talking about me like that. But not you. You are an innocent party. You had nothing to do with any of this yet she brought you up like you are some vegas fling I married on a whim. She has no idea who you are and yet she had the heart to say such terrible things." He explained, gripping his fists tighter.

"Viktor...I..I'm sorry." Is all he could say. Viktor leaned over and put both hands on either side of Yuuri's face. His expression softened as he gently stroked Yuuri's cheeks with his thumbs.

"Yuuri, don't apologize. This isn't your fault at all. My parents are trying to find a scapegoat to blame their terrible parenting on. Don't take it to heart." He said softly. "I love you so much. You are my everything. I would never let them get in the way of our relationship. "

"I still think you should go see your father." Yuuri choked out. He grabbed his hand. "You should at least say goodbye. You don't want you to regret it for the rest of your life. You have to tell him how you feel. Even if it scares you." Yuuri explained, a gentle smile on his face.

"Yuuri…." He said, some tears welling up behind his eyes. "You are too good to me. You know that, right?" Viktor said with a smile. He leaned in and gave Yuuri a quick peck on the lips.

"I still don't like kissing you after you drink like this.." Yuuri said.

"Sorry, moya lyubov. Bad habits are hard to kill." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "If I go to Russia, you have to come with me. I refused to go without you." He said.

"But this is between you and your parents Viktor. It's quite obvious they don't like me very much. I would just make this worse." Yuuri argued.

"I don't care. If we get into a huge argument, I want to be able to run into your arms and go out for ice cream to make me feel better. Okay?"

Yuuri let out a nasally chuckle. "Okay. How soon do you need to go?" He asked. "I have to find someone to cover my classes while we are gone."

"Probably within the next few days. Better start studying your Russian because it's going to get pretty intense." He pointed out, standing up. Yuuri chuckled and stood up as well. Viktor went in for a kiss but Yuuri put his hand on his face.

"Nope. You still smell like that scummy bar. No thank you." He said before heading back into the kitchen.

Viktor chuckled and followed behind, putting his still shaking hands in his pockets.


	7. Ready or Not

(A/N: everything that is said in Russian will be initialized. It makes the story a lot smoother when there is a lot of conversations happening between Russian-speaking characters.)

Even though both Viktor and Yuuri had been on airplanes more times than they can even fathom, this ride made them feel like it was the first time all over again.

They were on their way to St. Petersburg, with the intention of seeing Viktor's parents. A week ago, Yuuri didn't even know Viktor's parents were still alive. He never mentioned them. He never liked to talk about them when Yuuri asked. The conversation was avoided in every way until that phone call.

Viktor was stoic for the entire flight. He didn't really show much emotion, which was rare for the typically happy and bouncy man. He read a book in silence, occasionally looking up to meet Yuuri's eyes with a soft smile as if he was telling him that he was okay.

" _We are now landing. Welcome to St. Petersburg, Russia._ " the flight attendant said over the intercom.

Everyone was getting their personal belongings together as they made their way to the gate. Viktor finally tore his eyes from the book and carefully stuck it in his bag by his feet. He pulled out his phone to turn it back on in case he got any calls during the flight.

Yuuri watched Viktor as he put away his own stuff. He had never seen Viktor like this before. He was sure he was reverting back to his old nature to keep himself from getting hurt but it was hurting Yuuri, seeing his happy husband so...unemotional.

The plane parked at the gate and the fasten seatbelt sign flashed away. Everyone on the plane gathered their stuff and was heading off the plane. Yuuri grabbed his back and put it over his shoulder.

"Viktor…are you okay? You have been quiet." he said.

"I am fine Yuuri. Promise." he said with a weak smile. He grabbed his bag and put it over his shoulder before standing up. He opened the overhead bins and grabbed both of their bags. Yuuri tapped his husband's arm, making him look down at him.

"If anything is wrong, I want you to tell me Viktor. I don't want you to keep all these feelings to yourself. I will make this harder than it already is." Yuuri said as he climbed out into the aisle.

"I will." he said as he handed Yuuri his carry on. They both headed out of the plane and out into the terminal. It wasn't too crowded in the airport. He had been here before but it had been years since then and it wasn't for such a dire circumstance.

The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, and Yuuri nose. He smiled a little, wanting a cup for himself. Viktor noticed the boy's curiosity.

"Do you want some coffee Yuuri? I know it's been a long trip." he asked. Yuuri nodded, lacing his fingers with his Viktor's, squeezing his hand a bit. They walked over to a small coffee shop near the end of the terminal. Yuuri stood outside, not wanting to crowd the place. Viktor came back with 2 small cups of coffee, handing one to Yuuri.

"Thank you." Yuuri said, taking a small sip. They both started walking towards the exit of the airport.

"I rented a car and got a hotel near my parent's house. There is no way I could stay in that house…" he said, trailing off towards the end. Yuuri looked down at his coffee, not sure of how to react. Viktor still wasn't in the mood to talk. It made the walk to the rental booth quiet. The rest of the drive was just as quiet.

-Later-

Viktor put the keycard into the door, opening it up shortly after. He let Yuuri in first then walked in after him, dropping his bag off at the door. He jumped into the bed and laid face down in the pillow.

Yuuri could tell his stress level was beyond what the man could handle. Viktor's head was probably swirling with hundreds of different scenarios at the time. Yuuri shrugged off his coat and hung it up in the closet. Yuuri knew the feeling all too well.

"Viktor?"

No answer.

"Viktor?" Yuuri asked, turning around to face the bed. Viktor didn't answer again. He walked over to the bed and laid down beside him. He put his arms around the sulking man and used his strength to pull him closer to him. Viktor put his head in Yuuri's chest in response. Yuuri started to run his fingertips through his hair, getting him to relax. Yuuri cuddled the man for awhile in silence before Viktor spoke up.

"I don't know what to do...what to feel...I haven't seen my parents in years. I manage to suppress all my feelings about them but here I am getting upset about going to see a man I wished for many years would be in the position he is right now." Viktor admitted, his face still buried in Yuuri's chest.

"Death isn't an easy thing to face." Yuuri responded, still running his fingers through his hair. "If anything happens, I'll be right there. I'll be there every step of the way. I may not know much about your family or anything but I will try my best to keep you together. Okay?"

Viktor nodded and moves his face out of Yuuri chest. His eyes were red and wet with tears. "You are too good to me Yuuri. Much too good. Thank you."

Yuuri pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "You're welcome. Now relax."

Viktor squeezed Yuuri tighter, relaxing so he could rest a little.

Both men fell asleep quickly, their bodies were worn out from a day of traveling. They were still sleeping when Viktor's phone started to ring.

Ring ring ring

Viktor sighed and pulled his phone from his pocket. He quickly slid across the screen and put the phone to his ear.

" _Hello_."

" _Viktor, You never told me your itinerary. Have you landed yet?"_ Of course it was his mother.

" _Yes. Yuuri and I are at the hotel resting._ "

" _Oh...so you did end up bringing him_?"

" _I told you I wasn't going to come without him. He is my husband. He deserves to know just as much as anyone else._ "

The woman scoffed. He could practically see her rolling her eyes.

" _Husband is a strong word Vitya_."

" _I'm not going to have this conversation right now on the phone._ "

" _Then let's have it over dinner._ "

" _No. I refuse to bring him there just for you to insult him to his face. I can take what you say to me, but I won't when it comes to him._ "

"It's not just me. Your sister is here also too. She wants to see you."

Viktor's breath hitched in his throat. He felt like there had been a blow to his chest and he couldn't catch his breath.

" _W-What ?_ "

" _You heard me. Anna is here and she wants to see you._ "

He was silent for a second, looking at Yuuri who was buried in his phone at the moment. He let out a shaky breath.

" _I'll be there_." he said before hanging up the phone. He laid back on the bed, trying to catch his breath still. Yuuri saw he was finished with his phone call and turned around to face Viktor.

"What happened?"

"We are going to my parent's house for dinner." He said plainly before sitting up and climbing off the bed.

"Yuuri, you have to promise me if things get too heated, you will grab me and leave." He said, his tone getting oddly serious.

"I...I promise."

Viktor grabbed his scarf and threw it over his neck. Yuuri scrambled to get himself looking presentable.

"So it's going to be me, you, and your mom right?" He asked, nervously brushing his hair.

"My older sister will be there too apparently." He half-heartedly mentioned.

"Older...sister? You never told me you had siblings…"

"I'm sorry Yuuri. I really am. But...my family has been estranged for most of my adult life. I didn't think we would ever be in this situation. I honestly thought you would never have meet them. So, I didn't mention it. It often brought up feelings I couldn't handle so I kept it to myself. I didn't want to get you involved in the cross-hairs of my family life.. I'm sorry." Viktor explained, walking over to Yuuri and holding him tightly.

Yuuri sighed deeply. Viktor turned him around and kissed him softly. "Please don't be upset at me."

"I'm not going to get mad right now because honestly, I'm worried about a lot more right now. But don't think I'm going to forget about this." Yuuri said before worming out his arms.

"Understandable." Viktor said before slipping his shoes on. Yuuri finished fixing his hair and coat.

"What's your sister's name?" Yuuri asked, putting on his scarf and shoes as well.

"Anastasia. Anna for short." He said, grabbing the keys the rental car.

"How much older is she?"

"6 years. Not too much of a gap." He said, opening the door and leading Yuuri out.

Yuuri walked out first, heading toward the elevator. "Is she like your parents?"

"No. She was the first person I confided in. I told her everything. But, she never would oppose my parents. She would say all these things behind closed doors but the moment I needed her to stand up for me, she cowered away and went to my parent's side. She wanted to be their perfect little girl but she was far from it." He said, stepping inside first. Yuuri followed suit.

"Oh. But if you two were close, why didn't you talk to her for so long?"

"She left me. Things started getting really bad in my house. My father was getting worse and worse and my mother refused to stop him. It was a wreck every single day. So, she got up one day and left and never came back. She didn't speak a word to me. I got a phone call on my birthday that year from her and that was it. Gone. Haven't heard a word from her since so I find it odd she wants to see me after all these years."

Yuuri was quiet again, unable to comfort the man. Viktor smiled softly and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"I know there's a lot I'm telling you. Be prepared. You will be learning more about me these next few days. But take all of it with a grain of salt. My family loves to spin the story on you to make them feel like they are the victim in all this."

Yuuri nodded and Viktor replied with a smile, heading out the elevator and leading him out to the car.

Yuuri savored that smile because he was sure that was going to be the last time he saw that smile for a long while.


	8. Family Matters

The drive to Viktor's parents house was agonisingly quiet. They shared a few words, mostly questioning the extent Yuuri's Russian language skills. Viktor was stone-cold, face forward as he drove the familiar route to his former home.

Yuuri didn't say anything. He could tell Viktor was worried, stressed, and various degrees of angry. Saying something now could cause an unnecessary argument or an emotional breakdown. So instead of speaking, Yuuri laced his fingers in between Viktor's free hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Viktor looked over at Yuuri, who flashed a comforting smile. The corners of his lips curled up softly before looking back at the road.

It wasn't long they pulled up to a quaint little house surrounded by wilderness. It was beautiful, Yuuri thought. Viktor thought otherwise as he let out a disconcerting sigh into the steering wheel. Yuuri reached over and rubbed his husband's back softly.

"I'll be right here with you. Remember that." Yuuri said quietly before pressing a kiss into his cheek. Viktor gave Yuuri a weak smile before taking another deep breath. It was strange seeing Viktor so vulnerable and anxious. The younger man wasn't sure how to go about it. He would just use encouraging words and soft touches, just like Viktor did when he would get like this.

"Ready Yuuri?" Viktor choked out, sitting up from the wheel finally. Yuuri nodded, leaning over to give him a quick but sweet kiss. Viktor smiled a little before opening his door and climbing out. Yuuri followed, both of them walking up the cobblestone walkway.

Viktor had his shaking hand pressed against the small of Yuuri's back. Any bit of contact was needed to calm him down. The closer they got to the door, the worse Viktor got. He was shaking badly, his breathing was shallow, he even felt dizzy. "I can't do this. I can't Yuuri." Viktor said right before they got to the door. Tears were burning behind his eyes as he bent over at the hip to try to bring himself together. "This place holds nothing but bad memories. I can feel so the negative energy from this hell hole sucking the life out of me." Viktor explained, still bent over. Yuuri walked over to the other man and carefully stood him up. He put his hands on either side of his face and peppered his face with kisses. Viktor's tears were starting to flow freely at this point but he couldn't help but chuckle at Yuuri's choice of comforting him.

"I have never been in a situation like this before but I know the emotions you are feeling. It's natural to harbor negative feelings from a place like this. But, you can't run from this. It will haunt you until the day you die. You have to go in there and speak your mind otherwise in the future when you look back at this moment, you will regret never going in there and telling them your feelings." Yuuri explained, his thumbs caressing Viktor's wet cheeks. "I'll be right here and if things get too intense, we can just leave okay? We aren't stuck here."

Viktor nodded, wiping the tears from his eyes. He nodded again, more for himself than for Yuuri. He leaned in and gave him a tender kiss. "Thank you. You are really too good for me, you know that?" He said with a small smile. Yuuri nodded and grabbed his hand, urging him forward.

Viktor took a few steps forward onto the porch and took the deepest breath he could before knocking on the door. His heart was racing as he heard footsteps from behind the door. He stepped back and grabbed Yuuri's hand again, squeezing tightly.

The door flung open and a little girl was standing there. She looked around 8 or 9 with long blond hair and blue eyes. Viktor looked confused for a second. The girl returned the confused look.

" _Mama! There are strange men at the door!"_ the little girl yelled in her native tongue. Viktor could feel his heart in his throat as he heard a pair of heavier footsteps follow.

" _What are you talking about Nina?"_ a voice said from behind the door.

Viktor tensed up, knowing exactly who's voice it was. He took a shaky breath as a woman approached the door. She was on the taller side with Viktor's same silver hair color. She looked worn and tired though, like she had been through more than her fair share of life. Her eyes widened as soon as she walked up. The tears welled up right away and she covered her mouth in awe.

" _Viktor….Vitya...it's really you_?" She asked quietly. Viktor simply nodded, his heart still in his throat. He reached out and threw her arms around her younger brother, holding him tight. Yuuri stepped back for a moment to give him some space. Viktor gave her a weak hug back, unsure of how he felt about her sudden lunge at him.

" _It has been so long. You have gotten old Vitya!"_ Anna said with a smile.

" _I could say the same for you Anna."_ He replied, pulling away from the hug. Anna smiled and ruffled Viktor's hair before looking over at Yuuri who was standing a little bit behind them.

" _Mom didn't mention that you were bringing a friend over."_

Viktor rolled his eyes heavily before reaching back and lacing his fingers with Yuuri's again. Yuuri face flushed a light pink.

" _He's not my friend. He's my husband_." Viktor said,plainly. He gestured towards Yuuri so naturally the younger man assumed he had introduced him. Yuuri waved a little before before bowing slightly.

" _I-I am Yuuri. Nice to meet you_." Yuuri said, his russian sounding weird around his accent. It was virtually the only thing he could say clearly enough for anyone to understand.

Anna stood there in awe for a moment. She crossed her arms arm across her chest. Viktor was ready to snap back at her if she said anything about Yuuri.

" _He's cute Vitya_. This is the one you coached, right?" She said, switching over to English after hearing Yuuri's attempt at speaking Russian. She assumed the other man would like to understand something that was being said.

"Yes...but how did you…?"

"I watched most of your competitions on tv. You were truly gifted in both skating and coaching." She said with a soft smile. "I know I could never face you after what I did. So I would read about you and watch your competitions and interviews so if I ever did see you again, I could talk to you about something... You left this place and made something of yourself..."

Viktor's heart was still racing.

"I'm sorry for what I did all those years ago. I left you alone and scared. I'm sorry." She apologized.

Viktor felt the tears prickling behind his eyes. He didn't say a word though, he stayed quiet. Anna sighed and looked down with a nervous laugh.

"It's okay...I didn't expect you to accept my apology. I hurt you pretty bad."

"Can we please come inside?" Viktor said quietly, reaching out to Yuuri's hand. Yuuri quickly grabbed it and squeezed it softly. Anna moved out the way and Viktor stepped in, Yuuri following behind him.

The smell of beef was the first thing that hit him. His mother was making his favorite dish from when he was a child, beef stroganoff. His heart was pounding out of his chest and he felt like he might vomit at any point if he did pass out first. He wasn't ready to see his mother, not after all these years.

Yuuri sensed his husband's apprehension and lifted their laced hands up to his lips and kissed his fingers. He mouthed "You will be okay" to him with a gentle smile. Viktor took a deep breath and nodded before heading into the kitchen.

He could see her in the sink washing the dishes furiously, humming a little song. His mouth opened to say something but nothing came out. He swallowed the lump in his throat.

" _M-Mama…"_ Viktor said, no louder than a whisper. The woman turned around to face the man. His heart dropped to his stomach right away.

The woman had long blond hair that was tied in a messy ponytail. She was short, probably 6 inches shorter than Yuuri. She looked just like Viktor. Her eyes stood out the most since they were the same icy blue her son had.

" _Vitenka...my darling son...you have finally come home!"_ she said, walking over to Viktor and pressing kisses all over his face. He stood still, not fighting it like Yuuri had imagined.

" _Look at you. You look just like your father when he was your age. So handsome."_

Viktor rolled his eyes a bit. " _Mama...please.."_

The woman stopped. She looked back at Yuuri and scoffed for before ignoring him completely. He grabbed Viktor and sat him down at the table full of his favorite Russian snacks.

" _You went all out…"_

" _I had to. I haven't seen you in so long. I missed you Viktor."_

Viktor sighed deeply and grabbed one of the cookies off the table, taking a quick bite. He looked at Yuuri and motioned for him to sit next to him. Yuuri followed and sat down next to him, putting a firm and reassuring hand on his thigh.

" _Mama, this is Yuuri... my husband."_ He introduced. His mother's brows furrowed and she turned away.

" _I saw him."_ She said simply, returning to the dishes, scrubbing furiously

" _Really Mama? Are you seriously going to keep on with this? Nothing that any of you say or do will make me leave. Nothing is going to change that. I love him."_ Viktor said, his expression mirroring the anger in his voice.

" _You used to say you love a lot of things Vitya. You loved your toys. You loved the grass. You loved everything. But as something new came along, you forgot that 'love' you claimed to have. I am sure this will end up the same way."_

Viktor balled his hands into fists, trying to keep himself from losing it. Yuuri wished he had brushed up on his Russian so he could get the jist of the conversation but alas he was left in the dust, hoping he could figure out what was being said from their body language. Yuuri reached over and put his arm across Viktor's shoulder and gently rubbed at his neck. It was the easiest way to calm him down. Viktor closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

" _Tell the boy to keep his hands to himself while he is here. I don't want to see that in my kitchen."_

" _I knew we should have never came here. I fucking knew it."_ Viktor said in almost a growl. He looked back at Yuuri angry with tears in his eyes.

"Viktor, what is wrong?" he said, reaching up to caress his cheek. Viktor pulled away, turning his head away from the other man. Yuuri bit his lip and put his arm down.

"I knew this was going to happen. We should have stayed at home and sent a floral arrangement to the funeral. They don't want me here! They never did." he said flatly.

"Vik-" Yuuri started before getting cut off.

"I don't know why I let you talk me into coming here! This place sucks every last bit of life out of me. It always has and it always will. Nothing will change that. I was stupid to think that after all these years of being gone, they would change." Viktor ranted, hot tears running down his face.

Viktor's mom turned back to face him, her brows furrowed to make a scowl. " _Russian Vitya, I don't understand what you are saying."_

Viktor snapped, standing up and slamming his hands on the table. It caused all the snacks to tumble over. Yuuri jumped back and bit his lip.

" _Yuuri doesn't speak Russian! So of course I am going to speak English to him!"_ he yelled, smashing his hands against the table in frustration. It seemed like he couldn't even so much as talk to Yuuri without her commenting on it.

She was taken aback.

" _How disrespectful to yell at your mother like this. I taught you better than that."_

" _How disrespectful of you to be so rude towards my husband and towards me. We came to at your request so don't treat us like we are the problem!"_ Viktor fired back. Anna came in the room, grabbing her mother and trying to talk her down. She didn't want this to escalate to the point of no return. There were many years of feelings being let out and once and she'd be damned if her mother made Viktor leave so soon.

" _See there you go again defending mom! You didn't change at all did you Anna?"_ Viktor said, almost laughing.

" _Viktor! Enough! I am just trying to help!"_ she yelled, turning back to her mother.

His mother sighed and looked up at Viktor, " _Your father was right about you all along Vitya. Disrespectful and Ungrateful."_ she spat, having enough of this argument.

 _ **SLAP**_

The sound echoed across the room. She had struck her mother across the face, leaving a red mark on her pale skin. Viktor eyes were wide, unable to process what just happened. Her mother was shocked as hell, holding her face where she was struck. Anna was shaking with anger, looking up at her mother again.

" _How dare you? How dare you bring your son back here after so many years just make him remember the reason he hates this place to begin with!? You think Viktor didn't call or visit because he was busy? No! He fucking hates this place and this is the exact reason why he hates it so much. You and Papa have done this for his entire life. You treat him no better than a bastard on the street. He left and and NEVER wanted to come back. He wanted to forget this hell hole. I don't blame him. I wish I could."_ Anna said, letting year's worth pent of feelings out at once.

" _Is this true Vitya? Did you not come back to see us or answer any of our calls because you hate this place?...because you hate us?"_ his mother asked, as he looked up into her son's eyes.

Viktor didn't know what to say at first. He just nodded at the question He stood there in silence for a while before speaking up.

" _I...I never told Yuuri about my family. Quite honestly, he thought you and Papa were dead until you called me. I never talked about it. I refused to even think about it. I never wanted to come back here. Never. But Yuuri convinced me to come here. He told me I had to see Papa one last time before he died or I would regret it for the rest of my life."_ Viktor started, finally looking up at his mother's face.

" _I can deal with you calling me names and insulting me. That is nothing new. But what when you talk horribly about Yuuri. I can't take it. I will not tolerate it. He changed my life. He showed me love and affection. He showed me how to live my life after so many lackluster years. He brought me back from rock bottom. This isn't some summer fling. I love Yuuri with every fiber of my being and I will not let you make me feel ashamed of it like you used to. I won't do it. I am not that scared little boy anymore. I am not afraid to speak up and I will leave and never so much as think about this place again if you hurt him."_ He said, tears running down his cheeks.

Yuuri stood in complete silence and utter confusion. He could tell the words what were being said were heated and his name was mentioned more than once. He knew this conversation was about him. He felt like He was reason for the discourse between Viktor and his family. If he hadn't have come…..

Viktor's mother was breathing hard, trying to keep herself together. The food on the stove was starting to burn, bringing her back to reality. She leaned over and turned off the stove. It was quiet for a long time; only the clock ticking in the background. No one even dared to move.

" _You really have feelings for this boy?"_

" _Yes Mama. From the moment I met him. I love him very much._ I love Yuuri so much. Like I said, he changed my life." he said, the last few words being in English, so Yuuri would understand. It took all Yuuri had not the start crying right then and there.

Viktor mom let out a deep sigh, running her fingers through her blond ponytail for a second.

" _Who proposed?"_

" _I did. In the snow back in Japan. That's where I live now. I don't skate anymore. I retired but now I coach younger skaters. Yuuri teaches classes at the local rink to the children. We have a cute little apartment in the heart of town and Makkachin loves it."_

" _You still have Makkachin?"_

" _Of course I do. She is at home with Yuuri's family right now. I don't think she would have been okay being on much a long flight to come here."_

" _Surprised that dog has lived so long."_

" _She is just as happy and bouncy as she was when she was a puppy."_

" _So...you live in Japan now? When did that happen?"_

" _Years ago. I lost track after a while. I still miss Russia though. Nothing like a Russian winter."_ Viktor said with a small smile.

Both Yuuri and Anastasia let out a sigh of relief as the two stopped arguing for once. Yuuri had no idea what was being said but judging by the smile, it had to be good.

" _Mama! Mama!"_ the little girl from earlier said as she ran into the kitchen. She noticed the two men sitting at the table and she quickly hid behind her mother's legs.

" _Nina, this is your Uncle Viktor and his husband Yuuri. You know, the one from the tv."_ Anna said, running her fingers through the girls sandy brown hair.

" _From tv? The skater?"_

Anna nodded and the girl peeked from behind her legs. "She is nervous. She has only see Viktor on tv before so she is not sure how to react to it all." Anna explained in english to the pair.

"Understandable. I was nervous the first time I met Viktor too." Yuuri said with a little chuckle, putting his hand on the small of Viktor's back.

" _Go say hello Nina. They don't bite."_ Anna said softly, moving the girl from behind her legs and toward the couple in front of her. She walked over slowly, looking at the ground as she walked. She got in front of Viktor, her head still down.

" _H-Hi…"_

" _Hello Nina. I'm happy I am finally getting to meet you. I didn't know your mama had you so this quite a surprise."_

" _Mama always said that one day I would get to meet you. You look taller on the tv…"_

Viktor laughed a little before patting the girl on the head for a second. "She said I look taller on TV, Yuuri. I don't know if I am hurt or relieved." he said with a small smile.

"I don't blame her. They always know how to get your angles when you are in camera." Yuuri said.

" _Dinner is ready. Everyone wash up and get ready."_ Viktor's mother said from the stove. Nina ran to the bathroom first, ready to eat.

Dinner was full of questions for Viktor and Yuuri.

"How did you meet?"

"What is Japan like?"

"Was the wedding nice?"

"How come Yuuri doesn't know Russian?"

"Does Viktor know Japanese?"

"Is he bad at it?"

Viktor was open to answering many of the questions thrown at him. He would answer each question honestly then turn to Yuuri to translate the question and get his answer as well. Dinner went much smoother than anyone planned. Viktor figured they would be throwing piping hot food at each other at this point.

Everyone had finished eating and Anna was clearing the plates off the table. It was quiet for the moment because everyone in the room knew the one question that needed to be asked.

" _So...How long does he have? Papa, that is._ " Viktor asked, swallowing the lump in his throat.

Sadness glossed over Viktor's mother's face. " _Not long. The doctors say less than a month for sure. It spread too quickly for them to do anything about it. He claims he wants nature to run it course. I think he is tired of fighting it."_

Viktor looked down at the table, fidgeting with his fingers as she spoke. He wasn't sure how to take the information he was just given. Yes, he had "made up" with his sister and his mother but he never harbored the feelings he had for his father, for them. He couldn't bare to look at the man without lashing out but now here he was, sitting quietly at a table trying to figure out where these feelings came from.

" _You know he was the one who asked me to call you that day. He wants to see you the most Vitya."_ the older woman said, gathering the glasses from off the table. Viktor felt his heart in his throat again.

" _Really? He wants to see me? Of all people?"_

She nodded, holding the glasses in one hand and heading over to the sink with them.

" _Anna and I are going to visit him tomorrow after we drop Nina off at school. You and that bo-...Yuuri are free to join. Unless you want to see him on your own."_

Viktor bit his lip a bit, trying to figure out what to do. It would probably be easier to see him as group rather than himself. Finding out he married a man may be too much for the sickly man to handle by himself.

" _We will...come with you. It would be better that way. So if he gets too upset, he has you to calm him down. I would rather not have the doctor's trying to keep him from losing his mind."_

" _I know. Just be prepared Vitenka, your father will not hold back. Maybe its best Yuuri not come tomorrow."_

" _No. I know he won't hold back but neither will I. He is going to have to deal with it. Just like you did. I am not going to hide him for his sake. I came here to tell him my feelings and god damn it I will, even it it kills me."_ Viktor said, his tone dripping in anger. His mother put a gentle hand on his shoulder and nodded.

" _You always were just as stubborn as him. Nice to know you haven't changed. You still are my baby boy Vitya. Always were."_

Viktor's lips curled up in a smile. She gave him a little hug, squeezing him tightly as if she didn't want to let him go. Viktor accepted the hug, wrapping his arms around her as well.

She smelled the same as she did over 20 years ago when he left. He took a deep breath, savoring the smell because just for that moment, he felt like a child again.


End file.
